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Back to Animals Shearwater                 Crossing the Santa Barbara channel there was a bird flying with our boat its name,
shearwater. Its scientific name is Puffinus gravis. It belongs to the family called Procellaridac.
                 There are five species of shearwater.  They are called: Manx shearwater, great
shearwater, pink-footed shearwater, buller’s shearwater, and the sooty shearwater. Their length is
about 10-20inches. Shearwaters are brown or grayish black. They have short hooked
bills and tube shaped nostrils. The flap their wings above the waves only occasionally.  They eat
fish, squids, and small crustaceans. They fly alone, or in flocks that can contain up to 1,000
shearwater.