Puffinus puffinus
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 "tube nose". Although it was considered a monotypic species, recently an endemic subspecies for the Canary Islands has been proposed P. puffinus canariensis. The large genus Puffinus includes several species formerly considered to be subspecies of the Manx shearwater, including the yelkouan shearwater, Balearic shearwater, Hutton's shearwater, black-vented shearwater, fluttering shearwater, Townsend's shearwater and the Hawaiian shearwater. Of these, the Hawaiian and possibly Townsend's shearwaters seem to be most closely related to the Manx shearwater.
Three extinct... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenai Fjords National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Península Valdés | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Manx Shearwater sighting in Península Valdés on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 80th most-seen of the 96 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Manx Shearwater in Península Valdés on a given day, against under 5% in February–May and August–December, the lowest months. June and July have too few records to rate.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Manx Shearwater sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Manx Shearwater sightings, Península Valdés ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Kenai Fjords National Park (United States, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Manx Shearwater is recorded against all the birds logged in Península Valdés (11 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
