Manx Shearwater
NameManx Shearwater
Common NameManx Shearwater
Scientific NamePuffinus puffinus
FamilyProcellariidae
Wingspan (cm)79
Length (cm)34
Weight (g)460
Plumage DetailsThe plumage is strikingly bicolored, with sooty black or dark brown upperparts, including the head, back, and upperwings. The underparts, including the belly, undertail coverts, and underwings, are pure white, with a sharp, clean demarcation between the dark and white plumage.
Vocalization / CallKnown for its eerie, cackling, and crooning calls, often described as 'maniacal laughter' or 'witches' cackles'. These vocalizations are primarily heard at night at their breeding colonies.
Primary Dietpiscivore
Primary Habitatscoastal
Conservation Statusleast-concern
Geographic RangeBreeds on islands and coastal cliffs primarily in the North Atlantic, including the UK, Ireland, Iceland, and parts of France. It undertakes a long-distance migration, spending the northern winter off the coasts of South America (Brazil, Argentina) and South Africa.
Identifying FeaturesBicolored black and white plumage with sharp contrast, Stiff-winged flight, gliding low over waves, Long, narrow wings, Dark slender bill, Dark eye
Description
The Manx Shearwater is a medium-sized seabird known for its distinctive stiff-winged flight, often gliding low over the ocean waves. It is a highly pelagic species, spending most of its life at sea, only coming ashore to breed in burrows on islands and coastal cliffs.
