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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Procellariidae
  4. ›
  5. Ardenna
  6. ›
  7. Flesh-footed Shearwater
Flesh-footed Shearwater
Photo · (c) Ann Bentley, some rights reserved (CC BY)

BirdUp · Species

Flesh-footed Shearwater

Ardenna carneipes(Gould, 1844)

Updated 21 March 2026

Origin: Native
Order
PROCELLARIIFORMES
Family
Procellariidae
Genus
Ardenna

At a glance

The Flesh-footed Shearwater is a large bird, about 38–46 cm long, native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
38–46 cm
Origin
Native
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Very common
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Flesh-footed Shearwater look like?

The Flesh-footed Shearwater is a large bird, about 38–46 cm long.

The flesh-footed shearwater is a medium-large shearwater that mainly inhabits the Indo-Pacific. Its plumage is black with pale pinkish feet, and a pale bill with a distinct black tip. Together with the equally light-billed pink-footed shearwater, it forms the Hemipuffinus group, a superspecies which may or may not have an Atlantic relative in the great shearwater. These large shearwaters are among those that have been separated into the genus Ardenna. Recent genetic analysis indicates evidence of strong divergence between Pacific colonies relative to those in South and Western Australia, thought to be explained by philopatry and differences in foraging strategies during the breeding season.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
38–46 cm

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Flesh-footed Shearwater?

The Flesh-footed Shearwater is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

5 photos

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Flesh-footed Shearwater live in Australia?

The Flesh-footed Shearwater is native to Australia, recorded across 26 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingPO, IO : islets off St. Paul (central Indian Ocean), south-west and south Australia, Lord Howe I. (east of Australia), North I. and Cook Strait (New Zealand)

Non-breedingTo Arabian Sea, east Malagasy region, north Pacific east of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk to Gulf of Alaska and west USA coast (rare)

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Resident
  • Breeding
  • Vagrant
  • Passage

8 regions recorded