Great Shearwater

How to find it

Ocean bird observations in Costa Rican waters are infrequent, so new records are to be expected. A Costa Rican seabird article says the study of oceanic birds has been mostly limited to the coasts and Isla del Coco. The most useful approach is a pelagic trip on the Caribbean side. One such trip turned up Cory's, Great, Audubon's and Manx Shearwaters together. A sighting from shore has also been reported, so it is worth scanning the sea from the beach.

How to recognise it

The best field mark is a sharp dark cap that reaches below the eye, set against a white throat and a nearly full white collar.

Look for these marks:

A sooty brown crown down to eye level, contrasting strongly with the white collar.

A collar that can be incomplete at the back of the neck.

A blackish bill and pink feet.

A brown belly patch and dark shoulder marks.

A white band at the base of the tail.

Birds in flight show brown smudges on the belly and underwings. Juveniles lack the pale hind collar.

Behaviour and diet

It eats mainly fish and squid. It takes them from the surface, by plunge-diving, or by diving underwater. It often follows fishing boats for scraps.

It flies low over the sea on stiff, straight wings. In strong winds it arcs higher and wheels steeply.

After breeding, Great Shearwaters move north-west past Bermuda to North America, and west into the Gulf of Mexico. They often follow tropical storms, and a few wander to the Pacific as vagrants.

Where it lives

This is a seabird of the open Atlantic, and the only Costa Rican connection is the Caribbean coast. The Tortuguero bones come from Limón, and the species has not been recorded in the eastern Caribbean Sea.

A 2010 paper counted it among 17 species newly reported for Costa Rica. It noted that both it and Cory's Shearwater come from the Caribbean coast, which is much shorter than the Pacific coast.

Similar birds

Cory's Shearwater is the look-alike to keep in mind, and it is also on the Costa Rica list as A. Great Shearwater has a sharp dark cap reaching below the eye, while Cory's has a grayer, blended head.

The Black-capped Petrel has a somewhat similar pattern, but with more white on the back of the neck and the rump. Great Shearwater has no white on the forehead or between eye and bill, and its shape and flight differ.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

The official Costa Rican Spanish name is Pardela Mayor. Other Spanish names used elsewhere for the species include Pardela Capirotada, Pardela Cabeza Negra, Pampero Mayor and Fardela Capirotada.

Status and conservation

The AOCR list updated in June 2026 marks Great Shearwater as A, accidental, and a Costa Rican source treats it as hypothetical in the country.