Sooty Shearwater

Overview
Sooty Shearwater: Large shearwater with dark gray-brown body, darkest on tail and primaries. Underwing coverts are pale. Bill is long and dark. Legs and feet are black. Eats fish, squid and crustaceans. Long, narrow wings are slightly swept-back. Alternates strong direct flapping with long glides.

Range and Habitat
Sooty Shearwater: Breeds on islands off southern South America and New Zealand. Spends summers in north Pacific and north Atlantic. Pelagic, only comes ashore to breed.

INTERESTING FACTS
In New Zealand the Sooty Shearwater is also known by its Maori name titi and as muttonbird. In New Zealand, they are traditionally harvested each year by the native Maori. Young birds just about to fledge are collected from the burrows, plucked and often preserved in salt. It is identified by its dark plumage, from which it gets its name. A group of shearwaters are collectively known as an "improbability" of shearwaters.