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Species › Birds

Yelkouan Shearwater

Puffinus yelkouan

Order
Procellariiformes
Family
Procellariidae
Presence in the Strait
Seasonal
Abundance
scarce
Protection in Spain
Special protection (List)
In Spanish
Pardela mediterránea

Photograph: Julien Renoult, CC BY, vía iNaturalist

Length
32–38 cm
Wingspan
78–89 cm
Weight
410 g
020406080100LENGTH32–38 cmWINGSPAN78–89 cmcentimetres

Presence in the Strait

Scarce pelagic winter visitor.

Identification

Somewhat smaller and more compact than Balearic Shearwater with greater contrast between the darker, sooty-black upperparts and paler underparts.

Movements

Commonly seen until the end of the ‘70s between June and September, when moulted in the Bay of Algeciras. Now seen in small numbers between June and January with peaks in October. The Strait is their easternmost distribution, not reaching the Atlantic. Pardela Chica Puffinus baroli (Puffinus assimilis) / Macaronesian Shearwater L 25-30 / E 58-67 / P 225 Estatus: Accidental pelágica. Cuatro citas: En el Puerto de Sotogrande el 12.05.86 y en Gibraltar el 16.08.85, el 21.08.85 y el 27.08.00. Identificación: La más pequeña, compacta y de alas más cortas entre todas las pardelas. Fuerte contraste entre partes superiores negras e inferiores blancas. Vuelo con trayectoria recta, con menos planeo que otras pardelas y batir de alas muy rápido. Única con la cara de color blanco, sobre la que destacan sus ojos negros. Proviene de las islas atlánticas (Azores, Madeira y Canarias). Status: Accidental pelagic. Four records: at the Port of Sotogrande on 12.05.86 and at Gibraltar on 16 and 21.08.85 and 27.08.00. Identification: The smallest, most compact of the shearwaters, with the shortest blunt wings. Strong contrast between black upperparts and white underparts. Banks and glides less than other shearwaters, with fast wing-beats. Only one in the group with white face on which dark eye stands out. It breeds on the Atlantic Islands (Azores, Madeira and Canaries). Procellariidae Pardela Balear Pardela Mediterránea Pardela Chica Petrel de El Cabo

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Gallery

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.