Galápagos Shearwater
Puffinus subalaris
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderProcellariiformes (Tubenoses)
- FamilyProcellariidae (Shearwaters and Petrels)
- GenusPuffinus (Small Shearwaters)
- SpeciesPuffinus subalaris (Galápagos Shearwater)
The Galápagos shearwater (Puffinus subalaris) is a small shearwater. Until recently it was considered to be a subspecies of Audubon's shearwater, but it is actually one of two members of a very ancient lineage of the small Puffinus species, the other being, as indicated by mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data, the Christmas shearwater. It is an endemic breeder of the Galápagos Islands, and is largely sedentary, although individuals are commonly seen as far as the Oaxacan coast of Mexico. Wikipedia →
10–20% of wildlife watchers report a Galápagos Shearwater sighting in Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve, based on 81 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve
Wedge-tailed Shearwater
Puffinus pacificus
Flesh-footed Shearwater
Puffinus carneipes
Pink-footed Shearwater
Puffinus creatopus
Sooty Shearwater
Puffinus griseus
Tahiti Petrel
Pseudobulweria rostrata
Parkinson's Petrel
Procellaria parkinsoni
Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrel
Oceanodroma tethys
Least Storm-Petrel
Oceanodroma microsoma
Black Storm-Petrel
Hydrobates melania
Leach's Petrel
Oceanodroma leucorhoa
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel
Oceanodroma castro
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Coiba National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | Manuel Antonio National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Marino Ballena National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Darién National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 7 | Las Baulas Marine National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Santa Rosa National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Corcovado National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Piedras Blancas National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Galápagos Shearwater in Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Galápagos Shearwater sighting in Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve, based on 81 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Galápagos Shearwater in Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve?
May has the highest sighting rate for Galápagos Shearwater in Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve in our monthly data.