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title: "Heading south: tagged Pink-footed Shearwaters are on their way home to Chile"
---

# Heading south: tagged Pink-footed Shearwaters are on their way home to Chile

The [Vulnerable](http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3931) Pink-footed Shearwater *Puffinus creatopus*is the most recent addition to the ACAP “family”, having been listed in May this year ([click here](http://www.acap.aq/en/news/latest-news/2122-welcome-to-the-pink-footed-shearwater-acap-gets-its-31st-species-in-tenerife)).  A breeding endemic to Chile, it migrates to the northern hemisphere as far as Canadian waters after breeding.  Over recent years the species’ trans-equatorial migration route along the eastern Pacific seaboard has been studied by the use of solar-powered satellite transmitters.  Ten transmitters were placed on breeding Pink-footed Shearwaters in April this year on [Isla Mocha](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mocha_Island) in Chile ([click here](http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/index.shtml?project_id=1007)).

  ![](https://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Shearwaters/Pink_footed/Pink-footed Shearwater Peter Hodum s.jpg) 

 Pink-footed Shearwater, photograph by Peter Hodum

 The tagged shearwaters are now heading home to Chile after their trans-equatorial sojourn.  One satellite-tagged bird has flown nearly 21 000 kilometres in total during its migration so far, and is currently heading south (orange dots) toward its breeding site on Isla Mocha.

 ![](https://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Shearwaters/Pink_footed/Pink_foot__return_map.jpg)

 [Click here](http://www.acap.aq/en/news/latest-news/2241-habla-espanol-three-satellite-tracked-pink-footed-shearwaters-approach-the-canadian-border-from-chile) to read of the Pink-foots' progress north towards the Canadian border earlier in the year.

 The tracking study is a project of the [U.S. Geological Survey](https://www.facebook.com/USGeologicalSurvey) and [Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge](http://oikonos.org/).

 *John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 10 October 2015*