Great Shearwater
Ardenna gravis (O'Reilly, 1818)
GQ
GRTSH
400
Family: Procellariiformes > Procellariidae
This large, dark-capped, white-rumped, shearwater is seen in offshore waters during the summer and early autumn.
Great Shearwaters breed on a handful of islands in the South Atlantic and leave their breeding sites from March or early April, undertaking a huge flight that will see them complete a clockwise loop around the Atlantic, before heading back to their breeding islands.
These birds typically arrive in British and Irish waters during August, as can be seen in the BirdTrack reporting rate graph. Many individuals head to the Bay of Biscay, where large numbers can congregate through to October. These are thought to be non-breeding birds because breeding has already commenced in the South Atlantic colonies by October.
Select a topic for more facts and statistics about the Great Shearwater
Identification
Great Shearwater identification is sometimes difficult.
Develop your bird ID skills with our training courses
Our interactive online courses are a great way to develop your bird identification skills, whether you're new to the hobby or a competent birder looking to hone your abilities.
Browse training coursesStatus and Trends
Population size and trends and patterns of distribution based on BTO surveys and atlases with data collected by BTO volunteers.
CONSERVATION STATUS
This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.
| UK Birds of Conservation Concern | Green listed |
| IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global) |
Least Concern 
|
| Schedule 1 license required (to disturb) | No |
| Birds Directive Annex 1 | No |
|
Listed on the Annexes of
|
Bern(III) |
POPULATION SIZE
We have no population estimates for this scarce species.
| BOU Category | A |
|
First Record
|
Teesmouth, 1838 |
DISTRIBUTION
Great Shearwaters are recorded mostly from the coastline of southwest England but there are annual records from selected sites along the North Sea coast.
-
Britain and Ireland Breeding Distribution 2008-2011.
More from the Atlas Mapstore. -
Britain and Ireland Winter Distribution 2008-2011.
More from the Atlas Mapstore.
Occupied 10-km squares in UK
| No. occupied in winter | 1 |
| % occupied in winter | 0.03 |
DISTRIBUTION CHANGE
This vagrant is too rarely reported to map distribution change.
SEASONALITY
Great Shearwater is a scarce passage seabird recorded at selected seawatching locations, mostly from mid June to September.
Movement
Information about movement and migration based on online bird portals (e.g. BirdTrack), Ringing schemes and tracking studies.
RINGING RECOVERIES
View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report.
Biology
Lifecycle and body size information about Great Shearwater, including statistics on nesting, eggs and lifespan based on BTO ringing and nest recording data.
PRODUCTIVITY & NESTING
|
Number of Broods
|
1 |
CODES & CLASSIFICATION
|
Field Codes
|
2-letter: GQ | 5-letter code: GRTSH | Euring: 400 |
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Links to more studies from ConservationEvidence.com
- How to prioritize rat management for the benefit of petrels: a case study of the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man
- Reducing incidental mortality of seabirds with an underwater longline setting funnel
- Exploiting sensory ecology to reduce seabird by-catch
Read more studies about Great Shearwater on Conservation Evidence >
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