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
Summerland Peninsula Bird Area. It is home to one of the largest Little Penguin ("Eudyptula minor") breeding colonies in Australia, the second largest breeding colony of Australian Fur Seals ("Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus") in the world, one of the largest breeding colonies of Greater crested terns ("Sterna bergii") in Victoria and an important breeding ground for Short-tailed shearwaters ("Puffinus tenuirostris"). Several plants regarded as rare or threatened in either Victoria or Australia have been recorded on the peninsula, including River Swamp Wallaby-grass ("Amphibromus fluitans") listed as vulnerable in Australia. The peninsula was significantly modified by agricultural, residential and recreational developments until the 1980s