Among the long-distance champions of the animal world, sooty shearwaters undertake a remarkable migration. Every year, the winged wayfarers fly 40,000 miles (64,000 km) round-trip, tracing a figure-eight path from breeding sites in the Southern Hemisphere to richer feeding sites in the North Pacific Ocean.

How far do shearwaters migrate?

'Austral' or southern breeders, Great Shearwaters (Ardenna gravis) migrate from breeding islands far to the south in the Atlantic before traveling to the Northern Atlantic to feed. This trip is 6,000 miles each way and, if they're lucky, Great Shearwaters will complete this round trip every year for a 60-year lifetime.

Can shearwaters fly?

Description. These tubenose birds fly with stiff wings and use a "shearing" flight technique (flying very close to the water and seemingly cutting or "shearing" the tips of waves) to move across wave fronts with the minimum of active flight.