Pink-footed Shearwater Ardenna creatopus Scientific name definitions

The life history of the Pink-footed Shearwater is tied to the Humboldt and California upwelling currents in the eastern Pacific Ocean. This species is larger than other shearwaters in its range, other than Flesh-footed Shearwater (Ardenna carneipes), and has pinkish bill and feet, pale underparts, and brown to grayish upperparts. It breeds on the Juan Fernández Islands and Isla Mocha, off central Chile and spends the nonbreeding period in offshore waters from Peru to southern Alaska. Breeding occurs in colonies, generally on steep slopes in both open and forested habitats, where pairs nest in burrows and the female lays a single egg. During the breeding period, the species forages mainly in waters over the relatively narrow continental shelf as well as over deep offshore waters, depending on the colony. During the nonbreeding period, individuals concentrate near the continental shelf-break and slope, and in more pelagic waters when making migratory movements. The Pink-footed Shearwater preys on fishes and squids by seizing them at the surface or by making shallow dives. Foraging is often in association with other predators such as tunas, dolphins, or other seabirds, and fishing vessels. Pink-footed Shearwater is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN and Endangered by Chile and Canada. Principal conservation threats include mortality from fisheries bycatch (especially in South American fisheries), and predation from introduced mammals and habitat degradation on breeding islands.