Black-vented Shearwater, Puffinus opisthomelas

Black-vented Shearwater, Puffinus opisthomelas. Photographs taken at sea in coastal waters of Baja California Sur. Fairly frequent visitors to a drifting fishing Panga looking for handouts.

The Black-vented Shearwater, Puffinus opisthomelas, is a member of the Procellariidae Family of Shearwaters and Petrels. They are mid-sized in stature. In Mexico they are found within the coastal regions of the Pacific Slope north of Guerrero within 25 km (15 miles) of the coast at elevations up to 100 m (330 feet). They breed only on San Benito Island, Guadalupe Island and Natividad Island off the Pacific Coast of Baja California. They are difficult to distinguish from Townsend’s Shearwater, Puffinus auricularis. From a conservation perspective the Black-vented Shearwater is currently considered to be Near Threatened. Their populations were decimated by the release of domestic cats that became feral on their breeding islands. These cats have been been removed recently and the populations of the Black-vented Shearwater are starting to recover. They are an oceanic species spending the majority of their time at sea. They consume fishes, specifically Northern Anchovies and Pacific Sardines, and limited amounts of squid.