Wedge-tailed shearwaters feed pelagically on fish, squid and crustaceans. Their diet is 66% fish, of which the most commonly taken is goatfish. The species was thought to mostly take food from surface feeding, but observations of feeding wedge-tails suggested that contact-dipping, where birds flying close to the surface snatch prey from the water was the most commonly used hunting technique. However, a 2001 study which deployed maximum depth recorders found that 83% of wedge-tails dived during foraging trips with a mean maximum depth of 14 m (46 ft) and that they could achieve a depth of 66 m.This is my third Shearwater of Malaysia .....other than the Short-tailed whicha Pacific ocean bird but still frequently sighted in northern west coast seas of peninsula Malaysia. If you see that the legs are longer than its tail it most likely the bird. In future there may be even a Sooty been blown to our seas.They are open sea dwellers and are sea duck (web footed). In Malacca straits, they are visitors in July - November. We were fortunate to see many small feeding groups of a few to 10 birds. You can see them along the way to Pulau Perak a distance of 180 odd km. Feeding amongst terns. They are medium size pelagic of upto 1.5 feet /46cm. Overall its dark brown body in entirety. There is pale morph which looks like Streaked but the beak is still black unlike the pale beak of the Streaked. Of course the wedged-tail shape when maneuvering & shearing the surface of waves; feet are red and when flying its tail is wedged as per se.
They breeds in Indian and Pacific Islands and many records in the coast of Australia Islands. They are monogamous for good unless failed nesting may split the pair....  |
| A pair of Streaked Shearwater feeding amongst the many Wedged-tail |
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| Tail is wedged |
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