Boyd's shearwater, also known as the Cape Verde little shearwater, is a small shearwater which breeds in the Cape Verde archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean some 570 km off the coast of West Africa. The epithet commemorates British ornithologist Arnold Boyd.
Region
Eastern Tropical Atlantic (Cabo Verde Archipelago)
Typical Environment
This species breeds on a few rocky islets and rugged coastal slopes within the Cabo Verde archipelago and ranges over surrounding pelagic waters. Away from colonies, it forages over open ocean where upwelling and fronts concentrate prey. Nests are typically in crevices, among boulders, or in shallow burrows on steep, inaccessible terrain. It remains largely near the archipelago year-round, dispersing over adjacent tropical waters outside the breeding season.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 600 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Boyd's shearwater, also called the Cape Verde little shearwater, is a small, nocturnally active seabird that nests in burrows and rock crevices on remote islets of Cabo Verde. Adults return to colonies under cover of darkness to avoid predators and disturbance. At sea they fly low over waves with swift, fluttering wingbeats interspersed with short glides. Threats include introduced mammals, light pollution disorienting fledglings, and bycatch.
Egg of Puffinus boydi(coll.MHNT)
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats low over the water with brief glides
Social Behavior
A colonial nester that breeds in loose to moderately dense colonies on predator-poor islets. It is strongly nocturnal at colonies, arriving and departing under darkness. Pairs form long-term bonds, lay a single egg, and share incubation and chick-rearing duties.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
At night near colonies it gives soft, rolling trills and wailing calls typical of small shearwaters, often exchanged between mates. At sea it is generally quiet.
Plumage
Compact, small shearwater with dark brown to blackish upperparts and clean white underparts with a sharp demarcation along the sides. Underwings show mostly white panels with narrow dark margins and tips. Feathers are sleek and water-repellent, suited to prolonged time at sea.
Diet
Feeds mainly on small fish, squid, and other cephalopods, and occasionally planktonic crustaceans. Prey is taken by surface-seizing, dipping, and short pursuit plunges. It may associate with predatory fish or marine mammals that drive prey to the surface and sometimes exploits prey concentrated at oceanic fronts.
Preferred Environment
Forages over warm, offshore waters around Cabo Verde, especially where upwelling or current boundaries increase productivity. Typically hunts in small groups or loosely with mixed seabird flocks well away from shore.
