Porthgwarra to Pordenack Point heath, and for being of considerable ornithological interest; especially for passage migrants. The southern section, Tol Pedn or Gwennap Head, in particular is favoured by birdwatchers and many travel the length and breadth of Britain to track rare seabirds. The headland is renowned for its relative abundance of passing marine bird species with many common species such as northern gannet ("Morus bassanus"), Manx shearwater ("Puffinus puffinus"), common guillemot, ("Uria aalge"), razorbill ("Alca torda"), northern fulmar ("Fulmarus glacialis"), shag ("Phalacrocorax aristotelis") and cormorant ("Phalacrocorax carbo"). Forty-five breeding species have been recorded including the red-billed choughs ("Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax") which have recently been
Christmas shearwater and introduced black rats took eggs and chicks. In 1985, the population on Sala-y-Gómez, a nature sanctuary, was estimated at 5,000. With its wide range and considerable numbers, the Christmas shearwater is considered a species of least concern by the IUCN. Christmas shearwater The Christmas shearwater ("Puffinus nativitatis") is a medium-sized shearwater of the tropical Central Pacific. It is a poorly known species due to its remote nesting habits, and it has not been extensively studied at sea either. It is one member of a very ancient lineage of the small "Puffinus" species. Its only close living relative is the