Manx shearwater 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 "Puffinus" includes
Trevor H. Worthy the Waitomo frog ("Leiopelma waitomoensis"). In the 1990s Worthy discovered several fossil bird species new to science, including the long-billed wren ("Dendroscansor decurvirostris") in 1991, Scarlett's shearwater ("Puffinus spelaeus") in 1991, and the Niue night heron ("Nycticorax kalavikai") in 1995. In 1991 he also described the Northland skink, a fossil skink species new to science. In 1998 Worthy excavated subfossil bones in Fiji, where he found remains of the flightless Viti Levu giant pigeon ("Natunaornis gigoura"), the Viti Levu scrubfowl ("Megapodius amissus"), the Viti Levu snipe ("Coenocorypha miratropica"), the giant Fiji ground frog ("Platymantis megabotoniviti"), and the small freshwater crocodile