Sooty Shearwater
Sooty Shearwater
Bird
A grey ocean-wandering seabird that loops around an entire ocean each year, skimming low over the waves.
💡 Fun Facts
- Each year it flies a vast figure-of-eight loop across an entire ocean, covering around 64,000 kilometres — one of the longest yearly journeys ever recorded.
- It glides low over the waves on stiff wings, barely flapping, to save energy on its enormous travels.
- British and Irish seas are part of its route, so it can be spotted passing by, especially in autumn.
Name Story
Ardenna grisea
means “the grey (shearwater)”
likely meaningThe epithet grisea ('grey') is settled. The genus Ardenna is an old seabird name of uncertain origin that was resurrected for this group; its literal meaning is not reliably known, so present only the 'grey' meaning as fact.
What does its name mean?
- Ardenna — an old name for a seabird, of uncertain meaning, revived for the genusa historical/mediaeval bird name (origin unclear)
- grisea — greyMediaeval Latin griseus 'grey'
The second name simply means 'grey', for its sooty plumage. The first is an old seabird name brought back to life for this group, though what it first meant has been forgotten.