Yelkouan Shearwater

A pelagic seabird endemic to the Mediterranean basin, where it breeds on islands in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean, especially in Italy and Greece. Seems to hybridise with Balearic shearwater in the most western part of its range. Large portions of the population spend the non-breeding period in the Black Sea (BirdLife International, 2024).

Malta, holds up to 10% of the global breeding population, where colonies are distributed along coastal cliffs. Breeders arrive to colonies as early as October, but egg-laying does not take place before end of February. During breeding, shearwaters nesting on Malta forage not only in Maltese waters, but also off Sicily and North Africa, particularly in the Gulf of Gabes. Most adults and fledglings depart the colonies in June to July. A few birds remain in central Mediterranean waters, but most migrate east.

Thanks to conservation measures particularly seasonal rodent control, the population in colonies where these are implemented seems to be increasing. However, such measures are not possible in all colonies and threats such as light pollution and human disturbance are widely distributed and increasing. At sea, concerns for prey availability and accidental bycatch in fisheries remain.