The balearic shearwater is a shearwater that breeds on islands and coastal cliffs in the Balearic islands, which are in the Mediterranean. Most stay in the Mediterranean in the winter but some enter the Atlantic in late summer and reach as far north as Ireland. 

 

It is very similar to the Manx shearwater found elsewhere in the Mediterranean and mixed breeding colonies exist. They feed on fish and molluscs. 

 

It is under severe threat from the development of holiday resorts near breeding sites and also from introduced animals such as cats and rats. It is red-listed in Ireland and critically endangered worldwide due to its very small range and population. 

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Image (c) by Marcabrera used under Creative Commons License BY-SA 2.0.