Back to Field Guide
Short-tailed Shearwater
Ardenna tenuirostris
Audubon Illustration
John James Audubon, Birds of America (1827-1838). Public domain.
Migration Flyway
Showing primary migration corridor(s) for this species
Last Spotted Near You
About the Short-tailed Shearwater
The short-tailed shearwater or slender-billed shearwater (Ardenna tenuirostris), also called yolla or moonbird, and commonly known as the muttonbird both in early Australia and in New Zealand, is the most abundant seabird species in Australian waters, and is one of the few Australian native birds in which the chicks are commercially harvested. It is a migratory species that breeds mainly on small islands in Bass Strait and Tasmania and migrates to the Northern Hemisphere for the boreal summer.
Source: Wikipedia
Classification
- Scientific name
- Ardenna tenuirostris
- Family
- Shearwaters and Petrels
- Order
- Procellariiformes
Similar species
Other members of the shearwaters and petrels family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.
- Barolo Shearwater Puffinus baroli
- Bermuda Petrel Pterodroma cahow
- Black-capped Petrel Pterodroma hasitata
- Black-vented Shearwater Puffinus opisthomelas
- Black-winged Petrel Pterodroma nigripennis
- Bonin Petrel Pterodroma hypoleuca
- Buller's Shearwater Ardenna bulleri
- Bulwer's Petrel Bulweria bulwerii
- Cape Verde Shearwater Calonectris edwardsii
- Christmas Shearwater Puffinus nativitatis
- Cook's Petrel Pterodroma cookii
- Cory's Shearwater Calonectris borealis
Know when the Short-tailed Shearwater turns up near you
How rare bird alerts work →Gear for spotting Short-tailed Shearwater
Optics
Best Binoculars for Beginners
You don't need to spend a fortune. These four pairs will get you birding confidently on day one.
8 min readRead guide
Cameras
Cameras for Bird Photography
From phone adapters to dedicated rigs, here's what actually works for capturing birds in the field.
12 min readRead guide