Cory's Shearwater

Vulnerable in Portugal

An essentially pelagic seabird found throughout Portuguese waters and rarely seen in winter, breeding only in the Azores, Madeira and the Berlengas. Here it nests on virtually every island and islet, around 980–1,070 pairs in 2011, growing about 10% a year since 1980. Birds arrive in February–March, incubate for roughly 55 days, and chicks fledge from late July into early November. Its main threats are black rats and yellow-legged gulls, a shortage of nesting cavities, and fishing bycatch; the LIFE Berlengas project responded with rat eradication, gull control and a hundred artificial nests.