Manx shearwater night-time clamour. Manx shearwater The Manx shearwater ("Puffinus puffinus") is a medium-sized shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. The scientific name of this species records a name shift: "Manx shearwaters" were called "Manks puffins" in the 17th century. Puffin is an Anglo-Norman word (Middle English "pophyn") for the cured carcasses of nestling shearwaters. The Atlantic puffin acquired the name much later, possibly because of its similar nesting habits. The shearwaters form part of the family Procellariidae, a widespread group containing nearly 100 species of medium to large seabirds. They have long, narrow wings and the characteristic “tubenose”. The large genus
Storrs L. Olson world's foremost paleornithologists. He was also the 1994 recipient of the Loye and Alden Miller Research Award. He was formerly curator of birds at the United States National Museum of Natural History; , he holds an emeritus position in the institution. Several prehistoric bird species have been named after Olson, including "Nycticorax olsoni", "Himantopus olsoni", "Puffinus olsoni", "Primobucco olsoni", "Gallirallus storrsolsoni", and "Quercypodargus olsoni". Storrs L. Olson Storrs Lovejoy Olson (born April 3, 1944) is an American biologist and ornithologist who spent his career the Smithsonian Institution, retiring in 2008. One of the world's foremost avian paleontologists, he is best