flesh footed shearwater

Large, dark, broad-winged shearwater. Pink legs and feet Underwing is dark, although can show pale patch on underside of primaries in strong light Tall shorter and more rounded than Wedge-tailed. Stout pinkish bill with dark tip. Flight typically relaxed with strong flapping interspersed with long, stiff-winged glides banks and glides with less flapping in stronger winds.

Catches food chiefly by plunge-diving and pursuing pre under water: also by running along the surface between shallow belly-flop dives. Mainly offshore waters also pelagic

The Flesh-footed Shearwater feeds primarily on squid and crustaceans.

"gug-gug-gug" and "ku-koo-ah"

The flesh-footed shearwater (Ardenna carneipes formerly Puffinus carneipes) is a medium-sized shearwater. Its plumage is black. It has pale pinkish feet and a pale bill with a distinct black tip. Together with the equally light-billed pink-footed shearwater it forms the Hemipuffinus group a superspecies which may or may not have an Atlantic relative in the great shearwater. These large shearwaters are among those that have been separated into the genus Ardenna. Recent genetic analysis indicates evidence of strong divergence between Pacific colonies relative to those in South and Western Australia thought to be explained by philopatry and differences in foraging strategies during the breeding season. It breeds in colonies and has two main breeding areas one in the southwest Pacific Ocean includes Lord Howe Island (22654 pairs ) South Australia (about 1800 pairs breeding on two islands) and northern New Zealand (13000 pairs) the other population comprises no more than 36000 pairs breeding on 42 islands along the coast of Western Australia from Cape Leeuwin to the Recherche Archipelago. Another 500 pairs breed on St Paul Island in the Indian Ocean. A record of birds on Astola Island of Pakistan in the Arabian Sea is unconfirmed. Recent evidence suggests populations are declining across much of the species' range. The species was recently listed as near threatened in Australia  and nationally vulnerable in New Zealand and has been recommended for listing under the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels. At the state level the species is listed as vulnerable in Western Australia and New South Wales and rare in South Australia. The species occurs as a (boreal) summer visitor in the North Pacific Ocean where potentially large numbers are taken as bycatch in fisheries. The species also suffers from climate related impacts  and significant heavy metal contamination the cause of which is not fully understood but is likely due to the ingestion of significant quantities of plastic which the birds mistake for food floating on the ocean surface.