Black-vented shearwater Black-vented shearwater The black-vented shearwater ("Puffinus opisthomelas") is a species of seabird. The bird is 30–38 cm in size, with a 76–89 cm wingspan. Formerly considered a subspecies of the Manx shearwater, its actual relationships are unresolved. This species is pelagic, occurring in the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California. It comes closer to land than most other shearwaters, so it sometimes can be seen from shore. It predominantly nests on offshore islands off north and western Baja California, namely Isla de Guadalupe, Islas San Benito and Isla Natividad. It is fairly common off the United States coast of
Chagos Marine Protected Area Chagos are considered to be of international importance. The archipelago harbours eighteen different species of breeding birds and ten of its islands have been designated as Important Bird Areas (IBAs) by Birdlife International, making the region the most diverse breeding seabird community in this tropical region, though the presence of human-introduced rats on several of the other islands severely hinder seabird nesting on these. Five species are considered to be breeding in internationally significant numbers: the sooty tern ("Sterna fuscata"); the brown and lesser noddy ("Anous stolidus" and "Anous tenuirostris"); the red-footed booby ("Sula sula") and the wedge-tailed shearwater ("Puffinus