Shearwig

Shearwig
Appears in	Pikmin, Pikmin 2, Pikmin 3, Pikmin 4, Hey! Pikmin
Scientific name	Himeagea volaris
Family	Mandiblard
Areas	The Forest Navel, The Distant Spring, Perplexing Pool, Wistful Wild, Formidable Oak, Troop Commander
Caves	Snagret Hole, Citadel of Spiders, Hole of Heroes, Crackling Cauldron, Subterranean Swarm
Challenge Mode stages	Rumbling Grotto
Mission Mode Collect Treasure! stages	Twilight Hollow Remix
Mission Mode Battle Enemies! stages	Thirsty Desert, Twilight Hollow, Twilight River Remix, The Rustyard
Side Story days	None
Dandori Challenge stages	None
Dandori Battle stages	None
2-Player Battle stages	Battle Field, War Path, Carpet Plain, Angle Maze, Rusty Gulch, Brawl Yard, Tile Lands, Dim Labyrinth, Hostile Territory
Bingo Battle stages	Parched Brook, Rusted Labyrinth, Corroded Maze
Attacks	Eat Pikmin

The following article or section is in need of assistance from someone who plays Hey! Pikmin.

Shearwigs (トビンコ^?, lit.: "Tiny Flier") 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.

The Shearwigs also appear in Hey! Pikmin, exclusively as part of the boss fight against the Queen Shearwig. In this game, they only fly around to serve as a line of defense, move towards a target while spinning, chomp on Pikmin, and eat them, all as commanded by the queen. They are one of the few enemies in the game that don't have an entry in the creature log.

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. In Hey! Pikmin, they serve as the Queen Shearwig's troops and attacks, similar to Scornets in the Scornet Maestro battle in Pikmin 3.

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
	1	1	3	× 1	74	No
	N/A	N/A	N/A	× Unknown	Unknown	Unknown

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!”

Alph's comments

“Structural flaw: soft hide
Weight: 1

It seems odd for a flying creature to make its home underground, but that's what these insects do. When they sense motion, they surface and take to the air immediately, then attack from above.”

Brittany's comments

“It doesn't look like it can fly, possibly because it spends all its time under the earth. Maybe all it needs is to cut back on its diet and exercise more. Wait, what am I saying? I can't ask it to do something I wouldn't.”

Charlie's comments

US version

“"Oh, a flying bug! I'll send some flying Pikmin after it!" Rookie mistake! I can see why you'd think that, but the best Pikmin for the job is a Rock Pikmin. These bugs are so lightly armored that one hit can take them out. I could even use my steely fists, but that would just be overkill.”

European version

“"Oh, a flying bug! I'll send some flying Pikmin after it!" Rookie mistake! I can see why you'd think that, but the best Pikmin for the job is a Rock Pikmin. These bugs are so lightly armoured that one hit can take them out. I could even use my steely fists, but that would just be overkill.”

Louie's comments

“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 grâce!”

Olimar's comments

“Shearwig
Himeagea volaris
Mandiblard family

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 they never metamorphose.”

Dalmo's Notes

“It may be small, but it's full of vim and vigor! It hovers in midair, then zips straight to its target. And once it has prey in its jaws, it locks on tight and won't let go. This Shearwig, a cunning and fierce survivor, has a death grip on my heart and soul!”

Pikmin Nintendo Player's Guide

“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 they never metamorphose.”

“Like sheargrubs, shearwigs emerge from underground when Pikmin are near. Battle a shearwig as if it were a male sheargrub. If the shearwig takes wing, you can easily defeat it by tossing a Pikmin at it.”

Pikmin Nintendo Power booklet

“Shearwigs emerge from underground when Pikmin are near. They feast upon Pikmin until attacked, and retreat to the safety of the sky to regroup. Toss Pikmin at airborne shearwigs to knock them down.”

Pikmin 2 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

For strategies against the Shearwigs in Hey! Pikmin, see Queen Shearwig#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.

The Shearwig in Pikmin 4 is identical to its previous iteration. Rock Pikmin will down it in one hit as they did before, and all other types will knock it out of the air if they don't land on its back mid-flight. The main distinction is their appearance in groups, both in caves and in night expeditions, though this is mostly mitigated due to their low health. Glow Pikmin can take advantage of their ability to form Glowmobs to down groups of Shearwigs bundled together almost instantly. Take care to watch for any Pikmin that may get swooped away in fights, and prioritize those that do manage to pluck one away from you.

Minor glitches

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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	Successful 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	Collision processing radius	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	Shake mode 1 – hit count	0
ip02	振り払い張付１	Shake mode 1 – Pikmin requirement	0
ip03	振り払い打撃Ｂ	Shake mode 2 – hit count	0
ip04	振り払い張付２	Shake mode 2 – Pikmin requirement	0
ip05	振り払い打撃Ｃ	Shake mode 3 – hit count	0
ip06	振り払い張付３	Shake mode 3 – Pikmin requirement	0
ip07	振り払い打撃Ｄ	Shake mode 4 – hit count	0
Specific properties
ID	Japanese comment	Property	Value
fp01	離陸ライフ	HP percentage needed to start flying	0.5
fp02	着陸ライフ	HP percentage needed to go back down	0.8
fp03	飛行オフセット	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

Technical name in The Official Nintendo Player's Guide: Flying Mandiblard
Size: Body length: 28mm, as per the e-card
Pikmin 2 Piklopedia number: #25

Naming

See more: Mandiblard family#Naming.

Common name: Shearwig. It is a combination of "shear" and "earwig" – a real-life insect that also has large mandibles and wings.
Japanese nickname: トビンコ^?. It is a combination of とび^? (lit.: "flying"), and the ンコ^? part used in the name of other mandiblards.
Japanese name: トビヒメアギト^?, lit.: "Flying Small Jaw".
Scientific name: Himeagea volaris. "Volaris" is related to the Latin volare, which means "fly".
Internal names: 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).
Prerelease: None.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	トビンコ^? Tobinko	Tiny Flier
Chinese (traditional)	飛天蛆仔
French	Boufpon Volant	Flying bridge-eater	"Boufpon" is a portmanteau of "bouffe" (eat, grub) and "pont" (bridge)
German	Scherenzopf	Scissor Braid
Italian	Tarlo alato	Winged woodworm	"Tarlo" means "woodworm" "Molare" may come from the molar teeth, in reference to how they "chew" bridges
Korean	날개벼룩 Nalgaebyeoluk	Wing flea
Portuguese (NoA)	Cupim alado	Winged termite
Spanish (NoA)	Comején volador	Flying termite

Gallery

Artwork of the Shearwig from Pikmin.
A Shearwig in Pikmin's enemy reel.
Drawings of the Shearwig from the Pikmin Official Player's Guide.
Artwork of three Shearwigs from Pikmin 2.
Cropped alternate scan.
A Shearwig in Pikmin 2's Piklopedia.
Two Shearwigs in Pikmin 2.
A Shearwig taking flight in Pikmin 2.
Artwork of the Shearwig from Pikmin 3.
Two Shearwigs seen from below in Pikmin 3.
A Shearwig using the spinning attack in Hey! Pikmin.
A line of Shearwigs charging, commanded by the Queen Shearwig.
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. It is known not to be the Queen Shearwig, as it's an entirely different species and has wings, contradicting Olimar's description.
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.
The only Shearwigs in Pikmin 3's story mode is located at the Formidable Oak. However, it might not be an actual Watery Blowhog because every enemy at the Formidable Oak turns into plasm when defeated, implying that it was created by the Plasm Wraith. This can also be applied to the Watery Blowhog appearance in Pikmin 3's story mode.

Shearwig

Contents

Stats