Pairing in the Gory's Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea) of Selvagem Grande

The Gory's Shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea) of Selvagem Grande (30 degree s 09'N, 15 degrees 52'W) mate randomly according to beak index, age, breedi ng experience and previous breeding success, and probably assortatively acc ording to previous breeding frequency. Pairing always implying near neighbo urs, it is likely that lone birds do not search for a mate similar to thems elves but take the first bird of opposite sex available within easy reach, which does not seem to penalize breeding as much as the search for an assor ted mate could.