Scopoli's shearwater is a seabird in the petrel family Procellariidae. It breeds on rocky islands and on steep coasts in the Mediterranean but outside the breeding season it forages in the Atlantic. It is brownish grey above with darker wings and mostly white below. The bill is pale yellow with a dark patch near the tip. The sexes are alike. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with Cory's shearwater.
Region
Mediterranean Sea and Northeast Atlantic
Typical Environment
Breeds on rocky islands, sea cliffs, and islets throughout the Mediterranean, nesting in burrows, crevices, or under boulders. After breeding, many birds move through the Strait of Gibraltar to forage in the Northeast Atlantic. They frequent productive upwelling zones off Iberia and Northwest Africa and may range to the Azores and Canary Current. At sea they are strongly pelagic, typically far from land except during the breeding season. They concentrate along continental shelf edges, oceanic fronts, and areas of high prey availability.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 100 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A large Mediterranean-breeding shearwater, Scopoli's was split from Cory's shearwater and shows more white in the underwing. It masters dynamic soaring, skimming wave fronts for long distances with minimal flapping. Adults visit colonies mostly at night to avoid predators and light pollution can disorient them. Like other tubenoses, it has a specialized salt gland to excrete excess salt from seawater.
Egg
Skull of a Scopoli's shearwater
Temperament
social at sea, territorial at nest
Flight Pattern
soaring glider
Social Behavior
Breeds in dense colonies, often returning to the same burrow for many years. Pairs are largely monogamous, sharing incubation and chick-rearing duties. Adults commute to sea by day and usually approach and depart colonies under cover of darkness.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
At colonies gives eerie, wailing and cackling calls, mostly at night. At sea it is generally quiet, with occasional low calls during interactions.
Plumage
Upperparts brownish-grey with darker flight feathers and a clean white underside. Underwing largely white with a narrow dark border along the primaries and trailing edge. The bill is pale yellow with a dusky patch near the tip; body appears sleek with long, narrow wings.
Diet
Feeds primarily on small fish and cephalopods, often taking prey driven to the surface by predatory fish or dolphins. It captures food by surface seizing, shallow plunging, and pattering. Birds readily attend fishing vessels for discards but also exploit natural upwelling systems and fronts.
Preferred Environment
Forages over open ocean, especially along continental shelf edges, upwellings, and thermal fronts. During breeding, most foraging occurs within commuting distance of the colony but birds may range widely on multi-day trips.
