Mediterranean shearwaters and cuttlefish shearwaters can be observed particularly well on the ferry trip to Giglio. Mediterranean shearwaters are medium-sized shearwaters and, like all shearwaters, are perfectly adapted to life on the high seas. They usually fly just above the sea surface, disappear in wave troughs and have repeated gliding phases between their powerful wing beats.

They are endemic to the Mediterranean and breed in rocky cliffs, building their nests either directly on the rocks or in caves.

Due to declining breeding success, especially in Italian colonies, the species is now considered endangered. This is mainly due to rats, which have been introduced to almost all islands in the Mediterranean region. Future threats could include light pollution near the breeding colonies or oil spills.

Sources:

BAUER, H.-G.; BEZZEL, E.; FIEDLER, W. (2005): Das Kompendium der Vögel Mitteleuropas. 2nd edition. Aula-Verlag, Wiebelsheim.

BirdLife International (2020): Yelkouan Shearwater(Puffinus yelkouan) - BirdLife species factsheet. URL: datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/22698230.

SVENSSON, L.; GRANT, P. J.; MULLARNEY, K.; ZETTERSTRÖM, D. (2018): The Kosmos bird guide. Franckh-Kosmos-Verlags-GmbH & Co KG, Stuttgart.