shearwater
Wave-skimming seabird
A shearwater is a seabird related to petrels and albatrosses, with long narrow wings held stiffly as it glides low over ocean waves.
The name comes from its flight style—skimming so close to the water that its wingtips seem to shear the surface.
Shearwaters spend most of their lives at sea, coming ashore only to breed.
Tube-nosed ocean bird
- albatrossLong-winged oceanic bird
- seabirdOcean-dwelling winged creature
- plumageBird's complete feather coat
- wingspanTip-to-tip extent
beak · feathers · fledgling · chick · nesting · rookery · egg-laying · incubation
Move with effortless continuity
- skimPass over lightly
- shearLateral sliding force
- wingbeatSingle wing oscillation
- aerodynamicMinimizing drag through shape
effortless · updraft · wind · airborne · gliding · buoyancy · lift · altitude
Massive saltwater body
- offshoreAway from land
- saltwaterOcean water, chemically speaking
- marineRelating to the sea
- wavesTraveling energy disturbances
currents · squid · fish · krill · foraging · diving · plunge · prey
Water-bounded land mass
- burrowAnimal's dug dwelling
- cliffVertical rock wall
- colonyDependent territorial settlement
- coastalOf the shoreline
breeding-ground · remote · sanctuary · conservation · protected · endangered · population
Established bird migration path
- transoceanicCrossing a major sea
- long-distanceAcross great distances
- journeyTravel from place to place
- navigationDetermining position and course
seasonal · breeding · wintering · route · intercontinental · homing · instinct · traverse
petrel
Tube-nosed ocean bird
- albatrossLong-winged oceanic bird
- seabirdOcean-dwelling winged creature
- plumageBird's complete feather coat
wingspan · beak · feathers · fledgling · chick · nesting · rookery · egg-laying · incubation · ornithology
glide
Move with effortless continuity
aerodynamic · effortless · updraft · wind · airborne · gliding · buoyancy · lift · altitude · soar
ocean
Massive saltwater body
waves · currents · squid · fish · krill · foraging · diving · plunge · prey · fishery
island
Water-bounded land mass
coastal · breeding-ground · remote · sanctuary · conservation · protected · endangered · population
flyway
Established bird migration path
- transoceanicCrossing a major sea
- long-distanceAcross great distances
- journeyTravel from place to place
navigation · seasonal · breeding · wintering · route · intercontinental · homing · instinct · traverse · circumnavigation
- British Wildlifered deer, badgers, grey squirrel, foxes, otter
- island wildlifemarine iguana, Darwin's finches, Galapagos tortoise, giant tortoise, giant tortoises
- migrantsmigrants, arctic tern, monarch butterfly, caribou, humpback whale
- migratory birdsarctic tern, Canada goose, barn swallow, snow goose, sandhill crane
- Pacific wildlifecoconut crab, flying fox, fruit bat, green sea turtle, frigatebird
- seabirdspenguin, penguins, pelican, pelicans, seagull
shearwaterhummingbird
Small nectar-feeding hoverer
penguin · ostrich · kiwi · flightless bird · emu