Pink-footed Shearwaters do not breed in Canada but are regularly seen over Canadian Pacific continental shelf waters, primarily from May through October (Kenyon et al. 2009). This shearwater is known to nest on only three islands off the coast of Chile. Their at-sea range extends as far north as the Gulf of Alaska and occasionally the southern Bering Sea (Wahl et al. 1989). The Pink-footed Shearwater may be British Columbia’s second most numerous shearwater species (Guzman and Myres 1983), with a large proportion of the world population travelling through and foraging in Canadian waters. However, monitoring data are not sufficient to determine a change in population status in Canada relative to 1970. The species was first assessed as Threatened in 2004, but was re-assessed as Endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada in 2016, primarily due to the risk of fisheries bycatch (COSEWIC 2016c). The Pink-footed Shearwater was listed as Threatened under the Species at Risk Act in 2005; and in 2018, it was proposed that Schedule 1 of the Act should be amended to reclassify the species as Endangered (Canada Gazette, Part I, Volume 152, Number 52). This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
The greatest threat to this species’ continued occurrence in Canada is their high vulnerability to incidental fisheries mortality, plastic ingestion, and oil pollution (COSEWIC 2016c). Fisheries interactions (in Canada and throughout their range) are probable due to both high overlap of preferred foraging habitat and the species’ natural affinity to investigate vessels. Their Canadian range overlaps with areas potentially affected by oil drilling and development, as well as transport of petroleum products (COSEWIC 2016c). Terrestrial threats at breeding colonies in Chile include introduced predators, human disturbance, exploitation (particularly chick harvesting), and habitat destruction (COSEWIC 2016c).
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.
