Appearance:

Light grey upperparts, black wings and tail with white patches, white underparts and throat. Broad, black eyestripe not reaching above highest point of bill. Bill long and medium heavy (not as heavy as in Lesser GS). White patch at base of primaries varies according to subspecies. Black part of tail most narrow at base. Juveniles less pure in colour, with faintly barred underparts and buff fringes to greater coverts.

Sound:

Alarm call very harsh, nasal and noisy. Dry and not as deep or resonant as crows. Song varied. During breeding season a varied subdued song is heard from both sexes. Territorial call before breeding starts is simple, loud and resonant. Consisting of pleasant sounding single or double syllables, with well defined pauses and peculiar harmonics.

Territorial call/song:

Distribution:

Xeno-canto: map

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

Sounds:Recorded by Jarek Matusiak,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license

Appearance:

A large shearwater with pale upperparts and heavy, yellowish bill. Large grey head. The grey neck forms a diagnostic, contrasting line from wing base to base of bill (most other shearwaters have white neck-sides). Armpits usually pure white. Underside of wings white, framed by black flight feathers. Flight action calm and distinct. Long glides alternates with 3-4 slow wingbeats. Wingtips always bent downwards, and wings slightly angled back. Often soars. Differs from Fulmar in dark tail, grey head, long, narrow wings and longer bill. The two subspecies C. diomedea and C. borealis, are somtimes treated as different species. Field identification of these usually impossible, and requires ideal conditions. Hand of borealis is darker due to no white fringes to primaries. In diomedea the white in the coverts extends in a white wedge into the hand, through the base of the primaries.

Sound:

Very vocal at breeding ground. Calls with a very nasal, comical, mewing "ke-kooeee", ending with falling pitch, like a releasing sigh or moan. Sometimes reltively pure, other times very hoarse and raucous.

At breeding ground (C. d. borealis):

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

CC-sound:James Bradley, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Hans Verdaat, Licence,Link.