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Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus   [Brünnich, 1764]
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   Page updated:16-January-2013
Order: Procellariiformes Family: Procellariidae
BTO Codes: MX, MANSH EURING No: 460
Number in Britain: 295 thousand pairs (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK: AMBER
European: 2 Concern, most in Europe; Localised
Global: (Details)
Links to: Images   Videos   Sound  
Status in UK: (A)  Migrant Breeder
Subspecies: Monotypic
.
Length: 34 cm Wingspan: 82 cm Weight: M/F: 420 g    
Scientific name from: English: puffin (from puff+ing)
World Distribution: BREEDS: is of n Atlantic, RANGES: Atlantic s to Argentina & rarely Australia
Habitat: Pelagic, breeds in island burrows & on cliffs
Diet: Mostly small fish and squid, also small crustaceans and offal from surface or diving
TitBit: The call of this bird so scared Norse sailors, they thought the Scottish island of Rum was inhabited by trolls. It is the longest lived bird in Britain, with one living at least 55 years.  

Population and Distribution

Population Trend: JNCC Seabird Monitoring Programme
Distribution: Atlas Maps   
British Population Size:
    Summer: 295 thousand pairs in 1998-02
    First Record: 1668 [Fossil evidence from early Holocene, up to 10,000 yr ago]
    Latest Survey: Mitchell, P.I. et al. (2004) Seabird populations of Britain and Ireland Poyser, London
    Conservation Status: AMBER because Species of European Concern, Recent Breeding Range Decline (1969-2007), Localised Breeding Population, Important Breeding Population
   Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 AMBER     1996-2001 AMBER  
   Races of Concern:
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
    No habitat data from BBS
Migration routes: Map of foreign ringing recoveries  and summary map from Time to Fly (in pop-up windows)
European Population Size:
    Summer: 350 to 390 thousand pairs
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: Bern(II)
Survey Results: Results from BirdTrack
Summary text from Seabird 2000 (warning: link to large pdf)

Breeding and Survival
Egg Size: 61 x 42 mm Egg Weight: 57.0 g (of which 7 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records: 36
Clutch Size: 1 eggs
Incubation: 47- 55 days   by the: Male + Female
Fledging: 62 - 76days as: Altricial, downy
First Clutches Laid: Unavailable
Number of Broods: 1
Number Ringed: Annual Totals
Adult Survival: 0.905       
Juvenile Survival: 0.250 (to age 5 )  
Age at First Breeding: 5 years Typical Lifespan: 15 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 50 years 11 months 21 days (set in 2008)
Read a summary of Ringing Recoveries

Biometrics
Ring Size: Foe or E*
Wing Length Adult: 240.3 ± 4.9     Range 222.0 - 255.0 mm, (N = 1967)
Juvenile: 237.7 ± 5.1     Range 219.0 - 252.0 mm, (N = 625)
Male: Insufficient Data
Female: Insufficient Data
Weight Adult: 393.3 ± 39.10 Range 210.0 - 570.0 g , (N =855)
Juvenile: 398.9 ± 51.0 Range 210.0 - 580.0 . , (N =1651)
Male: Insufficient Data
Female: Insufficient Data
Seasonal: Summer 382.6 ± 40.55 (N = 998)   Autumn 417.4 ± 49.18 (N = 539)  
Source: British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data

Other Names
Has Included Puffinus mauretanicus
Gaelic: Fachach-bŕn Welsh: Aderyn-Drycin Manaw
Danish: Almindelig skrĺpe Dutch: Noordse pijlstormvogel
Finnish: Pikkuliitäjä French: Puffin des Anglais
German: Schwarzschnabel-Sturmtaucher Hungarian: Bukdosó vészmadár
Icelandic: Skrofa Irish: Cánóg Dhubh
Italian: Berta minore Norwegian: Havlire
Polish: Burzyk pólnocny Portuguese: Pardela-sombria
Spanish: Pardela pichoneta Swedish: Mindre lira
Local Names:Lyrie

For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
   Brooke, M. 1990 The manx shearwater Poyser, London [598.442 BRO]
   Hamer, K.C. 2004 BWP Update 5:203-213
   Lockley, R.M. 1942 Shearwaters J.M. Dent, London [598.442 LOC]
See Also:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
Details from the Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
Read State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead