Sooty shearwaters have a chocolate brown head, body and upper wings. The under wings are silver white and can reach a wingspan of 110 cm.

The Sooty shearwater is one of the world’s most widely distributed seabirds. Birds from New Zealand forage over the south Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea, and migrate to the north Pacific ocean in the austral winter, with a few birds reaching the Arctic Ocean. Breeding takes place annually from November to May on number islands around New Zealand, as well as on many islands off Australia, Chile, and the Falkland Islands.


Sooty shearwaters are considered ‘Gradual decline’ by the Department of Conservation and ‘Near threatened’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It has been estimated that there are around 5,000,000 breeding pairs.

The diet of Sooty shearwaters is made up of fish and squid.

Sooty shearwaters are one of the most frequently killed seabirds in the New Zealand waters. They have been killed by trawl nets or warps, longline fisheries, and occasionally on hand or reel lines and set nets in some locations. They are also caught by longlines and set net fisheries during migrations.

International Union for Conservation of nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red list

New Zealand Threat Classification System list