'Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi'
Abstract
A dead specimen of the flesh- footed shearwater
Ardenna carneipes (Gould, 1844) was collected on
21.07.2017 from Paravoor beach, Alappuzha district,
Kerala. The bird had a total length of 40 cm (bill tip
to tail tip) and a wingspan of 86 cm. The specimen
was deposited in the National Designated Repository,
ICAR- CMFRI, Kochi under the Accession No. Misc.36.
The bird is distinguished from other shearwaters in
this area, namely, the Persian shearwater, Audubon’s
shearwater, Sooty shearwater, Wedge-tailed
shearwater, Short-tailed shearwater and Streaked
shearwater by its pale bill with distinct black tips.
It also has darker underwings and a shorter rounded
tail as compared to other shearwaters of the region.
Its flight is described as “a stiff-winged glide
interspersed with slow lazy flaps” (Kazmierczak,
2015, A field guide to the birds of the Indian
Subcontinent, p.34)
