COSEWIC Status Reports

COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Pink-footed Shearwater Puffinus creatopus in Canada

The Pink-footed Shearwater Puffinus creatopus Coues, 1864 is a stocky and rather broad-winged seabird. In flight individuals appear heavy, with laboured wingbeats. The plumage is a combination of grayish-brown upperparts, white underparts with smudgy markings, mottled underwings, and a dusky head. The iris is brown, the bill pinkish-yellow with a dusky tip, and the legs and feet are pink. Juveniles and adults are alike in plumage, as are the sexes, with no seasonal variation. There is some uncertainty surrounding the classification of the species. The Flesh-footed Shearwater (Puffinus carneipes) is very closely related but has an entirely dark plumage.