Manx shearwater Morten Thrane Brünnich as "Procellaria puffinus" in 1764. The current scientific name "Puffinus" derives from "puffin" and its variants, such as poffin, pophyn and puffing, which referred to the cured carcass of the fat nestling of the shearwater, a former delicacy. The original usage dates from at least 1337, but from as early as 1678 the term gradually came to be used for another seabird, the Atlantic puffin. The current English name was first recorded in 1835 and refers to the former nesting of this species on the Isle of Man. The Manx shearwater is with a wingspan and weighs
Shearwater Shearwater Shearwaters are medium-sized long-winged seabirds. There are more than 30 species of shearwaters, a few larger ones in the genus "Calonectris" and many smaller species in the genus "Puffinus". The "Procellaria" petrels and "Bulweria" were believed to belong to this group, but are only distantly related based on more recent studies, while the "Pseudobulweria" and "Lugensa" "petrels" are more closely related. The genus "Puffinus" can be divided into a group of small species close to "Calonectris" and a few larger ones more distantly related to both. These birds are most common in temperate and cold waters. They are pelagic