Shearwig

Shearwig
Appears in	Pikmin, Pikmin 2, Pikmin 3
Scientific name	Himeagea volaris
Family	Mandiblard
Areas	The Forest Navel, The Distant Spring, Perplexing Pool, Wistful Wild, Formidable Oak
Caves	Snagret Hole, Citadel of Spiders, Hole of Heroes
Challenge Mode levels	Rumbling Grotto
Collect treasure! levels	Twilight Hollow Remix
Battle enemies! levels	Thirsty Desert, Twilight Hollow, Twilight River Remix, The Rustyard
2-Player Battle levels	Battle Field, War Path, Carpet Plain, Angle Maze, Rusty Gulch, Brawl Yard, Tile Lands, Dim Labyrinth, Hostile Territory
Bingo Battle levels	None
Attacks	Eats Pikmin

Shearwigs (トビンコ^?, lit.: "Flying Parrot") are enemies in the Pikmin games. The females of this species are never seen, as, according to Olimar's notes, they spend nearly their entire life underground, somewhat similar to cicadas. They also do not possess the males' wings. The males have a dark green shell, sporting simple wings and large, sickle-shaped mandibles. They are slightly more aggressive than Male Sheargrubs, and take leave off the ground to hover up high after having lost at least half of their health to allow it to steadily return. While up in the air, these creatures are still within the reach of a Pikmin throw, of which just one accurate button-press is enough to kill one.

Like other mandiblards, Shearwigs have an affinity for chewing apart stick bridges, and they lose health while in water, in the first two games. Because when they are being attacked they fly up, they will stop losing health as soon as they stop being submerged. On the ground, if they are hit in the back, they will die instantly, just like a Dwarf Bulborb.

In Pikmin 3, Shearwigs fly almost all the time while fighting and swoop down to grab Pikmin and eat them. Instead of healing while in flight, they roost and go underground, and can fully heal in 30 seconds. They will go underground to heal when their health reaches 20% or lower, and will emerge after it reaches 50%, if there are prey nearby. This makes them easy to strike down and deal good damage to, and makes them easy targets for Winged Pikmin.

In Pikmin 2's 2-Player Mode, Shearwigs may sometimes pop out when the player digs up a yellow marble. In Pikmin 3, their only Story Mode appearance is in the Formidable Oak, so they cannot be carried back as they just disappear into plasm. They behave as normal in Bingo Battle and Mission Mode.

Stats

Game	Weight	Max. carriers	Seeds	Value	Health	Regen.
	1	2	4	N/A	50	Yes
	1	1	4	× 2	200	0.6 HP/s
(?)	1	1	4	× 5  × 5	74	No

Notes

Reel notes

“

The males of this species are able to fly, but the females remain underground.

”

Olimar's notes

“

Unusual for their genus, flying mandiblards have retained their wings. However, only the adult males of this species can fly. Females of this species spend most of their life span underground. They do emerge for a period after maturation to spawn, but never metamorphose.

”

Louie's notes

“

Grate this beast into a zest and whisk with sugar, cream, and chopped dark chocolate for a lusciously indulgent mousse that's a true culinary coup de grace!

”

Nintendo Player's Guide

"Shearwigs are essentially Male Sheargrubs with wings. You can pluck a Shearwig from the air with a toss of a single Pikmin, then defeat it quickly with a small swarm. Although it takes some effort to aim and fire at the little bugs, they provide a good source of Pikmin sprouts."

Pikmin 3 Prima Guide

"These creatures behave much like Male Sheargrubs, burrowing underground and waiting to attack unsuspecting prey. Once above ground, however, Shearwigs fly into the air and attack your Pikmin from above. When you encounter a group of Shearwigs, move out of range and attack the enemies from a distance. During prolonged battles, Shearwigs will shake their attackers by burrowing underground. Don’t let your guard down until you’re sure the area is clear of enemies."

Strategy

The best way to kill a Shearwig is to land a Pikmin directly on top of one; this will instantly kill it. Otherwise, the creature can be swarmed and, provided it does not die right away, the Pikmin should be called back when it attempts to fly upward. At this point it should be shot down by having a Pikmin of any type thrown at it.

In Pikmin, Shearwigs share the Male Sheargrubs' invincibility trick while grasping a Pikmin, so a Pikmin thrown directly on its back for a one-hit-kill is a safer method. This invulnerability is lost in Pikmin 2, making for an especially quick and easy kill through simple swarming. In Pikmin 2, Purple Pikmin may also be used to stun large groups of the enemies, which is quite helpful considering that a Shearwig is seldom found alone.

Another strategy for Shearwigs that appear near water (such as The Distant Spring in Pikmin) is to bring a group of about 30 Blue Pikmin and lead the Shearwig into the water, quickly swarming it before it can take off.

In Pikmin 3, Shearwigs gain a new form of attack wherein as soon as they emerge from the ground, they will immediately take flight rather than attempt to chase Pikmin on the ground. Once in the air, they will swoop down, grab Pikmin in their mandibles, lift them into the air and eat them. The same strategies from previous games are effective on the Shearwig. If in the air, they are also vulnerable to Pikmin being thrown at them to knock them onto the ground, or to get swarmed by Winged Pikmin while in the air. Rock Pikmin can also instantly defeat an airborne Shearwig.

Minor glitches

To do: Move to the glitches article. Care to do so?

In Pikmin, there is a visual glitch that can happen when the Shearwigs in The Distant Spring by the Massage Machine are hiding underground. If they are hiding right on the ledge that leads into the water, they can be seen above ground, completely motionless.

In the same game, Pikmin that are thrown or ordered into an area where Shearwigs are under the ground attack the ground as if something were there (similarly to the way White Pikmin unearth buried treasure). However, the Shearwigs will not come to the surface unless Captain Olimar moves near enough. This is useful for when Pikmin need to carry objects through an area with Shearwigs or Sheargrubs (such as the Guard Satellite or the Extraordinary Bolt), as the enemies don't attack, and it can be used to indicate whether any Mandiblards lie ahead.

In Pikmin 2's 2-Player Battle mode, Shearwigs may sometimes pop out when the player digs up a yellow marble. Sometimes, the Shearwigs will move incredibly fast, and will eat Pikmin faster, and also move up and down faster when carried to the Onion. The latter oddity may also sometimes happen with Fiery Blowhogs in Pikmin.

Technical information

Pikmin technical information (?)
Internal name	kabekuiC
HP	50

Pikmin 2 technical information (?)
Internal name			tobi
Global properties (List)
ID	Japanese comment	Property	Value
s000	friction(not used)	Friction	0.5
s001	wallReflection	Unknown (wall bounce speed multiplier?)	0.5
s002	faceDirAdjust	Unknown	0.25
s003	accel	Acceleration	0.05
s004	bounceFactor	Unknown (bounce when it hits the ground?)	0.3
fp00	ライフ	HP	200
fp01	マップとの当り	Unknown (related to slopes)	10
fp02	ダメージスケールXZ	Horizontal damage scale	0.2
fp03	ダメージスケールY	Vertical damage scale	0.25
fp04	ダメージフレーム	Damage scale duration	0.35
fp05	質量	Unknown (weight?)	0.1
fp06	速度	Move speed	35
fp08	回転速度率	Rotation acceleration	0.2
fp09	テリトリー	Territory radius	400
fp10	ホーム範囲	"Home" radius	30
fp11	プライベート距離	"Private" radius	0
fp12	視界距離	Sight radius	150
fp13	視界角度	FOV	180
fp14	探索距離	Unknown (exploration radius?)	0
fp15	探索角度	Unknown (exploration angle?)	0
fp16	振り払い率	Unknown (shake rate?)	0
fp17	振り払い力	Shake knockback	0
fp18	振り払いダメージ	Shake damage	0
fp19	振り払い範囲	Shake range	0
fp20	攻撃可能範囲	Unknown (shock attack max range?)	30
fp21	攻撃可能角度	Unknown (shock attack max angle?)	15
fp22	攻撃ヒット範囲	Unknown (attack hit range?)	30
fp23	攻撃ヒット角度	Unknown (attack hit angle?)	15
fp24	攻撃力	Attack damage	20
fp25	視界高	Unknown (height visibility?)	50
fp26	探索高	Unknown (exploration height?)	0
fp27	ライフの高さ	HP wheel height	50
fp28	回転最大速度	Rotation speed	12
fp29	警戒時間	Unknown (warning time?)	0
fp30	警戒ライフ	Unknown	0
fp31	ライフ回復率	Regeneration rate	0.0001
fp32	LOD半径	Off-camera radius	40
fp33	マップとのあたりポリゴンの選定	Unknown	30
fp34	ピクミンとのあたり	Pikmin damage radius	10
fp35	石化時間	Petrification duration	1
fp36	ヒップドロップダメージ	Purple Pikmin drop damage	50
fp37	地震気絶確立	Purple Pikmin stun chance	0.3 (30%)
fp38	地震気絶時間	Purple Pikmin stun time	10
ip01	振り払い打撃Ａ	Unknown	0
ip02	振り払い張付１	Unknown	0
ip03	振り払い打撃Ｂ	Unknown	0
ip04	振り払い張付２	Unknown	0
ip05	振り払い打撃Ｃ	Unknown	0
ip06	振り払い張付３	Unknown	0
ip07	振り払い打撃Ｄ	Unknown	0
Specific properties
ID	Japanese comment	Property	Value
fp01	離陸ライフ	Unknown (HP percentage needed to start flying?)	0.5
fp02	着陸ライフ	Unknown (HP percentage needed to go back down?)	0.8
fp03	飛行オフセット	Unknown (flight height?)	75
fp11	白ピクミン	White Pikmin poison damage	300
fp12	橋食いパワー	Bridge-eating power	45

Pikmin 3 technical information (?)
Internal name	tobinko
HP	74
Rock Pikmin throw hits to kill	0
White Pikmin ingestions to kill	1
Bomb rock explosions to kill	1
Bomb rock ingestions to kill	0
Number of direct hits on top to kill	0
Damage to leaders	5
Territory radius	300
Mission Mode value	5

Other information

• Prima guide technical name: Flying Mandiblard
• Size: Body length: 28mm, as per the e-card
• Piklopedia number: #25

Naming

See more: Mandiblard family#Naming.

This creature's name is a combination of "shear" and "earwig" – a real-life insect that also has large mandibles and wings. In Japan, it is known as トビンコ^?, which is a combination of とび^? (lit.: "flying") and いんこ^? (lit.: "parrot"). In its scientific name, Himeagea volaris, volaris is related to the Latin volare, which means "fly".

Internally, it is known in Pikmin has kabekuiC. The C in the name is what distinguishes it from the other mandiblards; in particular, the Female Sheargrub uses A and the Male uses B. In Pikmin 2, the internal name is simply tobi, which is part of its Japanese name (とび^?, lit.: "flying"), and in Pikmin 3, it is the entirety of the Japanese name (tobinko).

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	トビンコ? Tobinko	Flying Parrot
Spanish (NoA)	Comején volador	Flying termite
French	Boufpon Volant	Portmanteau of bouffe (eat, grub) and pont (bridge); Flying bridge-eater
Italian	Tarlo Alato	Winged termite

Gallery

• 

  A Shearwig on the Piklopedia.

• 

  The Shearwig as seen in the enemy reel of Pikmin.

• 

  Shearwigs tearing apart bridges in Pikmin.

• 

  A Shearwig taking flight in Pikmin 2.

• 

  The Shearwig's artwork from Pikmin.

• 

  Artwork of three Shearwigs from Pikmin 2.

• 

  The creature's e-card, #46 (11^th red card).

Trivia

• The female version of the Shearwig cannot fly, stays underground, and has not been seen in-game, but it has been mentioned in the Piklopedia.
• The Shearwig and the Wollywog can inflict the most damage on leaders in Pikmin 2: 40% of their health without the Metal Suit Z, and 20% with the upgrade.
• The Shearwig's exoskeleton covers its entire body in Pikmin and Pikmin 2, but only covers their mandibles and head in Pikmin 3.
• On The Forest Navel, one can lure Shearwigs into the pathway leading to the Libra, or even to the part's island itself, and get it to fall into the abyss. This can be achieved by making it begin flight while near the edge; at times, the creature will end its flight stage above the pit, and plummet right down. This kills the Shearwig.