Puffinus opisthomelas
Silhouette: Juan Carlos Jerí · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The black-vented shearwater (Puffinus opisthomelas) is a species of seabird endemic to islands off of the Pacific coast of Mexico and the Gulf of California. It is a smaller shearwater, with a length of 30–38 cm, 76–89 cm wingspan and a mass of around 400 g. This species is pelagic and feeds mainly on small fish. It is nocturnal, and is most active in low light settings.
The name "puffin" is thought to originate from the Middle English term "pophyn," which was used in the Middle Ages to describe the fatty, preserved young shearwaters that were prepared as food. Since shearwaters and Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica) often nest in close proximity, the name 'puffin' was mistakenly applied to the Atlantic puffin. Over time, the name stuck, and today it is used for the Atlantic puffin species. The name "puffin" also remained associated with the shearwaters and the genus Puffinus.
The black-vented shearwater is one of around 21 other species in the genus Puffinus, eight of which reside in North and Middle America (see Christmas shearwater, Galápagos shearwater, Manx shearwater, Townsend's shearwater, Newell's shearwater, Bryan's shearwater, Sargasso shearwater... Wikipedia →
Call0:29
United States · 2014
© Justyn Stahl · XC190213 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
No species of the same family or order lives in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, so these are its closest relatives here: other birds.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-vented Shearwater sighting in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 36 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 168th most-seen of the 237 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-vented Shearwater in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in June–September and November–April, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-vented Shearwater sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Black-vented Shearwater sightings, El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Cabo Pulmo National Park (Mexico, under 5%) and Channel Islands National Park (United States, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-vented Shearwater is recorded against all the birds logged in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve (36 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
