Short-tailed Shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris), Tasman National Park, Tasmania
The Short-tailed Shearwater is the most abundant Australian seabird, which travels every year about 15 000 km between the South- and North-Pacific. Approximately 23 million short-tailed shearwaters breed in about 285 colonies in south-eastern Australia from September to April. Eighteen million of these arrive in Tasmania each year. There are known to be at least 167 colonies in Tasmania and an estimated 11.4 million burrows. The largest colony is on Babel Island which has three million burrows. Their colonies are usually found on headlands and islands covered with tussocks and succulent vegetation such as pigface and iceplant. Headlands allow for easy take off and landing.
Year: 2014
From album: Tourism and Protected Areas in Tasmania
Photographer: Peter Prokosch