Cory's Shearwater
Calonectris borealis (Cory, 1881)
CQ
CORSH
35970
Family: Procellariiformes > Procellariidae
This large brown and white shearwater, with its languid flight, visits our waters during the late summer months.
Cory’s Shearwaters breed across the Atlantic archipelagos; the Azores, Canaries, Salvagems and Berlengas all have breeding colonies. Birds start to leave these colonies during August, with many heading for the Bay of Biscay. Cory’s Shearwaters occur in our waters in varying numbers between years; in some a few thousand might be seen whilst in others hardly any at all. In years when large numbers occur in the Bay of Biscay some birds head further north and are responsible for increased sightings around our coasts.
Cory’s Shearwaters spend the winter off the coasts of South America and South Africa before returning to their breeding colonies during March.
Select a topic for more facts and statistics about the Cory's Shearwater
BTO RECORDS
Identification
Cory's Shearwater identification is sometimes difficult.
SONGS AND CALLS
Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of Cory's Shearwater, provided by xeno-canto contributors.
Call
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Browse training coursesStatus and Trends
Population size and trends and patterns of distribution based on BTO surveys and atlases with data collected by BTO volunteers.
CONSERVATION STATUS
This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.
| Species of European Conservation Concern | Least Concern |
| IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global) |
Least Concern 
|
| Schedule 1 license required (to disturb) | No |
| Birds Directive Annex 1 | Yes |
|
Listed on the Annexes of
|
WBD(I), Bern(II) |
POPULATION SIZE
We have no population estimates for this scarce species.
| BOU Category | A |
|
First Record
|
Devon, 1933 |
DISTRIBUTION
Cory's Shearwaters are recorded mostly from the coastline of southwest England but there are annual records from select sites along the North Sea coast.
More from the Atlas Mapstore.
Occupied 10-km squares in UK
| No. occupied in winter | 2 |
| % occupied in winter | 0.07 |
European Distribution Map
DISTRIBUTION CHANGE
This vagrant is too rarely reported to map distribution change.
SEASONALITY
Cory's Shearwater is a scarce passage seabird recorded at selected seawatching locations, mostly in July and August.
Movement
Information about movement and migration based on online bird portals (e.g. BirdTrack), Ringing schemes and tracking studies.
RINGING RECOVERIES
View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report.
Biology
Lifecycle and body size information about Cory's Shearwater, including statistics on nesting, eggs and lifespan based on BTO ringing and nest recording data.
PRODUCTIVITY & NESTING
|
Number of Broods
|
1 |
|
Egg Size
|
68×45 mm Weight = 74 g (of which 7% is shell) |
SURVIVAL & LONGEVITY
View number ringed each year in the Online Ringing Report
|
Adult Survival
|
0.95
|
BIOMETRICS
Sample sizes are too small to report Biometrics for this species.
Feather measurements and photos on featherbase
CODES & CLASSIFICATION
|
Field Codes
|
2-letter: CQ | 5-letter code: CORSH | Euring: 35970 |
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Links to more information from ConservationEvidence.com
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