Puffinus Puffinus Puffinus is a genus of seabirds in the order Procellariiformes. It comprises about 20 small to medium-sized shearwaters. Two other shearwater genera are named: "Calonectris", which comprises three or four large shearwaters, and "Ardenna" with another seven species (formerly often included within "Puffinus"). "Puffinus" is a New Latin loanword based on the English "puffin". The original Latin term for shearwaters was usually the catchall name for sea-birds, "mergus". "Puffin" and its variants, such as poffin, pophyn and puffing, referred to the cured carcass of the fat nestling of the shearwater, a former delicacy. The original usage dates from at
Ponta dos Rosais and agricultural areas, with most of the region taken-up by rural activities. Tourists visiting the area are attracted by the diversity of migratory and maritime bird species that nest in the cliffs of the point, including the migratory Corey's Shearwater ("Calonectris diomedea") and Little shearwater ("Puffinus assimilis"), but also the Roseate ("Sterna dougallii") and Common Terns ("Sterna hirundo"). Endemic predator species in these areas include feral cats and dogs, as well as rodents, but the latter limited by local kite species. But, the region is a hothouse of Azorean heather ("Erica azorica") and Forget-me-nots ("Myosotis azorica"). Ponta dos Rosais Ponta