Persian Shearwater

A relatively small shearwater with uniformly white underparts. The upperparts are pale brown throughout with some of the brown extending to the flanks. The wings are almost entirely brown except for a white shaft down the middle. Though small in size, it is heavily built with proportionally broad wings. Flies low over the water with a purposeful and fast flight and smooth gliding. Feeds off the water surface and occasionally makes shallow dives.

The Persian Shearwater (likely a misnomer, as this is often confused with the Sooty Shearwater, Ardenna grisea) has been sighted in pelagic (offshore) waters near Mirissa, Sri Lanka. These sightings are part of a larger pelagic bird-watching activity in the area, and the birds are typically seen on or around the water's surface.

Persian shearwaters off the coast of Sri Lanka feed primarily on small, schooling fish, squid, and crustaceans that they catch near the ocean's surface. Although detailed dietary studies specifically focusing on this species in Sri Lankan waters are limited, general feeding behaviors confirm that they are surface-foraging marine birds.