About The Species
Yelkouan Shearwaters – Special birds for Malta
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| Puffinus Yelkouan chick |
Malta is home to around 10% of the world’s population of Yelkouan Shearwaters and
one third of these breed at Rdum
tal-Madonna in the north of the island.
These fascinating birds arrive in the Maltese Islands from October to occupy traditional
nest sites. The birds gather on the sea in “rafts” during the late afternoon and
only come in to land after nightfall. They communicate through a loud, hoarse call
(males are higher pitched than females) and are especially noisy on moonless nights
from January to April.
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Shearwater outside the burrow
John J Borg |
They nest in burrows deep in the cliffs and females lay just one chalky white egg
from the last week of February. The parents take turns to incubate the egg and the
chicks are hatched around the second week of May.
Once the chicks are fully grown, almost all of the birds leave the islands and we
are still not sure exactly where they go. One of the project’s most exciting actions
is to fit some of the birds with electronic devices so that we can monitor their
journey.
After they leave the breeding colonies, the shearwaters, like most seabirds, rarely
return to land and have no access to freshwater. In order to survive long periods
at sea, the birds have evolved an ingenious salt gland which is located at the base
of their bills. This allows the birds to filter high levels of salt out of their
bodies meaning that they can drink seawater.
In recent years, the important Maltese colonies have been decreasing in both number
and area with several colonies becoming extinct in recent years. A number of threats
have been identified as contributing to this decline. These will be addressed by
the partnership throughout the project. To find out more, click here.