Common name: Short-tailed Shearwater
Scientific name: Ardenna tenuirostris
Family: Procellariidae

Size:
Body length: 40–45 cm
Wingspan: 85–100 cm
Weight: 500–800 g

Identification:
A dark brown seabird with long narrow wings and a streamlined body adapted for oceanic flight. The plumage appears mostly uniform dark brown, sometimes slightly paler on the underwing. The bill is slender and dark, and the tail is relatively short compared to some other shearwaters. In flight, it glides low over the sea with stiff wingbeats alternating with long glides.

Habitat:
Open ocean and offshore marine waters. Rarely approaches land except during migration or under unusual conditions.

Status in the UAE:
Rare pelagic visitor. Occasionally recorded offshore in deeper marine waters.

Diet:
Carnivorous — feeds on fish, squid, and marine crustaceans.

Behavior:
Highly pelagic and spends most of its life at sea. Often follows schools of fish and feeding activity. Uses dynamic soaring techniques to travel efficiently over long distances. Migratory, undertaking remarkable transoceanic journeys between breeding grounds in Australia and feeding areas in the northern hemisphere.

Conservation status:
Least Concern (IUCN Red List)