Seabird in the Cretaceous, with a species called "Tytthostonyx glauconiticus", which seems allied to the Procellariiformes and Pelecaniformes. In the Paleogene both pterosaurs and marine reptiles became extinct, allowing seabirds to expand ecologically. These post-extinction seas were dominated by early Procellariidae, giant penguins and two extinct families, the Pelagornithidae and the Plotopteridae (a group of large seabirds that looked like the penguins). Modern genera began their wide radiation in the Miocene, although the genus "Puffinus" (which includes today's Manx shearwater and sooty shearwater) might date back to the Oligocene. The highest diversity of seabirds apparently existed during the Late Miocene and
Europa Island 100 pairs, probably of the subspecies "Puffinus lherminieri bailloni" previously considered endemic to the Mascarene Islands), dimorphic egrets and Caspian terns. The island is also home to an endemic subspecies of white-tailed tropicbird ("Phaethon lepturus europae"). There are three species of landbirds present, one of which is an endemic subspecies of the Malagasy white-eye ("Zosterops maderaspatanus voeltzkowi"). Additionally, the island is also home to its own species of hissing cockroach. Climate is affected by the Agulhas Current with water temperatures usually above 30 °C, southeast trade winds during the (austral) winter and occasional cyclones. While the island has probably been