Morphometrics of the pink-footed shearwater (Puffinus creatopus): influence of sex and breeding site

We present morphometric data for the pink-footed shearwater (Puffinus creatopus) from both Chilean breeding colonies on Isla Mocha and Juan Fernandez: weight, total length, wing length, tail length, head length, three bill and three tarsus size measurements and length of middle toe. Significant differences were found for most measurements between males and females as well as between birds from the two different breeding localities. In general, males were bigger than females, and birds from Juan Fernandez were bigger than those from Isla Mocha. Geographic differences most likely reflect some kind of ecomorphological adaptation. Some variables, especially the total length of head, seem to be useful for sex determination in the field.