This species was by far the most common tubenose in the area. The trip leaders estimated about 1500 which is considered normal for this time and location. These shearwaters breed locally on South Atlantic Islands and migrate annually into the North Atlantic and back again. Formerly called "Greater Shearwater" the English name was changed by the AOU 51st supplement (The Auk 127(3):726-744, 2010) stating "name modified to conform to general worldwide usage." It was formerly placed in the genus Puffinus. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS.
References:
Carboneras, C., Jutglar, F. & Kirwan, G.M. (2016). Great Shearwater (Ardenna gravis). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/52567 on 21 October 2016).
Ramos-Ordoñez, M.F., C. Rodríguez-Flores, C. Soberanes-González & M.C. Arizmendi. 2010. Great Shearwater (Puffinus gravis), Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; retrieved from Neotropical Birds Online: http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/overview?p_p_spp=101596