Pink-footed Shearwater

Overview
Pink-footed Shearwater: Large shearwater, gray-brown upperparts, white underparts, mottled brown flanks and undertail coverts. Head is gray-brown and pink bill is tipped with black. Flight feathers are dark-bordered and underwing coverts are mottled gray. Alternates slow wing beats with low glides.

Range and Habitat
Pink-footed Shearwater: Breeds on islands off coast of Chile; summer visitor off the west coast as far north as southeastern Alaska. Prefers open ocean, well offshore over the continental shelf.

INTERESTING FACTS
The Pink-footed Shearwater was first mentioned in the diaries and ship logs of sailing vessels that visited the Juan Fernández Islands in the late 1600s and early 1700s. Although the practice of harvesting chicks for food is illegal on Isla Mocha, they are considered a local delicacy and 20 percent of the annual chick production (3,000–5,000) is harvested each year, from March to May, by the island’s residents. They appear similar to immature gulls but can be separated at great distances by their different flight styles. Shearwaters fly closer to the surface of the water, often disappearing behind swells. A group of shearwaters are collectively known as an "improbability" of shearwaters.