Mass winter movements of Yelkouan Shearwaters (Puffinus yelkouan) along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast

Abstract

Large flocks of Yelkouan Shearwaters (Puffinus yelkouan Acerbi, 1827) were reported to migrate along the northern Bulgarian Black Sea coast in the winter. On 06.02.2021, a total of 15,488 Yelkouan Shearwaters were counted for one hour after midday at Dobrudzha campsite, Shabla. During February 2021 and 2022, some smaller flocks were also observed. In the past, such big concentrations of Yelkouan Shearwaters in the Black Sea have been reported only during the spring, summer and rarely autumn. The possible explanations for such a winter influx of the species are discussed.

Keywords

• yelkouan shearwater
• winter migration
• black sea