Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus puffinus (Brünnich, 1764)

Order: Procellariiformes
Family: Procellariidae
Species: Puffinus puffinus puffinus (Brünnich, 1764)

Description
The Manx Shearwater is a migratory marine bird. Its underside is white and the upper parts are completely black. The bird can be distinguished from the Little Shearwater by its black face in the eye zone and because it is slightly larger. Its bill is thin, long, straight and black. In flight it is possible to see the dark undersides of the wing tips. The bird moves with great difficulty on land as it has very weak feet.
The Manx Shearwater flies quickly, with long glides with a few changes in direction. It has a very rapid and strong wing beat. In the nesting season these birds gather on the sea at the end of the afternoon before heading for land.

Distribution
In the Madeira archipelago this bird is present between February and August, the nesting season. It spends the remaining months of the year on the high seas. The bird can be seen on all the islands of the archipelago.

Habitat
In Madeira, the Manx Shearwater nests in deep valleys, generally associated with water and vegetation, in the lands of the Funchal Ecological Park at altitudes of up 700 metres

Breeding
The bird excavates a deep nest in the rock, about 1 metre deep, and lays just a single egg in the sole annual laying. Incubation lasts about 50 days and the chick is fed by both parent birds for approximately 6 weeks before leaving the nest in July.

Madeiran name: Patagarro
Madeira Archipelago migrant breeder
Social: Flocks
Length: 32 - 38 cm
Status: Vulnerable / localized

Recommend Tours to watch this species:
Bird, dolphin & whale watching
Zino's Petrel Pelagic Expedition