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
Puffinus and often give eerie contact calls on their night-time visits. They lay a single white egg. They feed on fish, squid and similar oceanic food. Some will follow fishing boats to take scraps, notably the sooty shearwater; these species also commonly follow whales to feed on fish disturbed by them. Traditionally, "Puffinus" has been grouped with the "Procellaria" and "Calonectris" shearwaters. However, more recent results have determined that the genus is apparently paraphyletic and while in part very close to "Calonectris", forms a clade with the genera "Pseudobulweria" and "Lugensa", which were formerly presumed to be gadfly petrels, and can