Common Name: Wedge-tailed Shearwater

Distribution: Ranges throughout the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans generally between latitudes 35°N and 35°S.

Ecological Notes: Wedge-tailed shearwaters feed pelagically on crustaceans, squid, jellyfish and fish. Their diet is primarily fish, of which the most commonly taken is goatfish. 

Additional Notes: In Australia, Wedge-tailed Shearwaters have been observed feeding along the junction between inshore and offshore water masses. Contact-dipping, where birds flying close to the surface snatch prey from the water, is the most commonly used hunting technique. One study recorded 83% of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters also dive during foraging trips, with a mean maximum depth of 14 m reached when chasing prey. Maximum depths of 70 m have been recorded. In the Solitary Island Group breeding season spans late August to early May.

References: Wikipedia. “Wedge-tailed Shearwater.” Last modified 14 April 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedge-tailed_shearwater

Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment at http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=84292 Accessed 6 February 2022.