Puffinus
Encyclopedia
Puffinus is a genus
of seabird
s in the order Procellariiformes. It comprises about 20 small to medium-sized shearwater
s. There are two other shearwater genera: Calonectris
, which comprises three large shearwaters, and Procellaria
with another four large species. The latter are usually named as petrels, although they are thought to be more closely related to the shearwaters than to the other petrel
s. Despite the resemblance in the name, the puffin
s are auk
s, and completely unrelated to the shearwaters in the genus Puffinus; the genus name Puffinus is actually a New Latin
loanword
based on the English "puffin". The original Latin
term for shearwaters was usually the catchall name for sea-birds, mergus
(Thompson 1918).
The taxonomy of this group is the cause of much debate, and the number of recognised species depends on the source.
The species in this group are long-winged birds, dark brown or black above, and white to dark brown below. They are pelagic outside the breeding season. They are most common in temperate and cold waters.
These tubenose
bird
s fly with stiff wings, and use a shearing flight technique to move across wave fronts with the minimum of active flight. Some small species, like Manx Shearwater
are cruciform in flight, with their long wing held directly out from their bodies.
Many are long-distance migrants
, perhaps most spectacularly the Sooty
and Short-tailed Shearwater
s which perform migrations of 14,000 km or more each year.
Puffinus shearwaters come to islands and coastal cliffs only to breed. They are nocturnal at the colonial breeding sites, preferring moonless nights. This is to minimise predation. They nest in burrows and often give eerie contact calls on their nighttime 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 Sooty Shearwater; these species also commonly follow whale
s to feed on fish disturbed by them.
with the genera Pseudobulweria
and Lugensa which were formerly presumed to be gadfly petrel
s, and can be divided in what has been called the "Puffinus" and the "Neonectris" group after notable species; the latter would if separated as a distinct genus be named Ardenna (Penhallurick & Wink 2004). The former is taxonomically confusing, with species having been split and re-merged in the last years (Heidrich et al. 1998, Austin et al. 2004).
Genus Puffinus
species which became extinct long ago are also known. It appears that the proportion of larger ("Neonectris") species was larger before the Pliocene
, i.e. before marine mammals diversified:
"Puffinus" arvernensis (Early Miocene of France) is now considered a primitive albatross
of the fossil genus Plotornis.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of seabird
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
s in the order Procellariiformes. It comprises about 20 small to medium-sized shearwater
Shearwater
Shearwaters are medium-sized long-winged seabirds. There are more than 30 species of shearwaters, a few larger ones in the genus Calonectris and many smaller species in the genus Puffinus...
s. There are two other shearwater genera: Calonectris
Calonectris
Calonectris is a genus of seabirds. It comprises three large shearwaters. There are two other shearwater genera. Puffinus, which comprises about twenty small to medium-sized shearwaters, and Procellaria with another four large species...
, which comprises three large shearwaters, and Procellaria
Procellaria
Procellaria is a genus of southern ocean long-winged seabirds related to prions and a member of the Procellariiformes order.-Taxonomy:Procellaria is a member of the family Procellariidae and the order procellariiformes. As members of Procellariiformes, they share certain characteristics. First they...
with another four large species. The latter are usually named as petrels, although they are thought to be more closely related to the shearwaters than to the other petrel
Petrel
Petrels are tube-nosed seabirds in the bird order Procellariiformes. The common name does not indicate relationship beyond that point, as "petrels" occur in three of the four families within that group...
s. Despite the resemblance in the name, the puffin
Puffin
Puffins are any of three small species of auk in the bird genus Fratercula with a brightly coloured beak during the breeding season. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among...
s are auk
Auk
An auk is a bird of the family Alcidae in the order Charadriiformes. Auks are superficially similar to penguins due to their black-and-white colours, their upright posture and some of their habits...
s, and completely unrelated to the shearwaters in the genus Puffinus; the genus name Puffinus is actually a New Latin
New Latin
The term New Latin, or Neo-Latin, is used to describe the Latin language used in original works created between c. 1500 and c. 1900. Among other uses, Latin during this period was employed in scholarly and scientific publications...
loanword
Loanword
A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language. By contrast, a calque or loan translation is a related concept where the meaning or idiom is borrowed rather than the lexical item itself. The word loanword is itself a calque of the German Lehnwort,...
based on the English "puffin". The original Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
term for shearwaters was usually the catchall name for sea-birds, mergus
Mergus
Mergus is the genus of the typical mergansers, fish-eating ducks in the seaduck subfamily . The Hooded Merganser, often termed Mergus cucullatus, is not of this genus but closely related...
(Thompson 1918).
The taxonomy of this group is the cause of much debate, and the number of recognised species depends on the source.
The species in this group are long-winged birds, dark brown or black above, and white to dark brown below. They are pelagic outside the breeding season. They are most common in temperate and cold waters.
These tubenose
Tubenose
Tubenose may refer to:* Birds in the order Procellariiformes.* Fishes in the family Aulorhynchidae....
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s fly with stiff wings, and use a shearing flight technique to move across wave fronts with the minimum of active flight. Some small species, like Manx Shearwater
Manx Shearwater
The Manx Shearwater 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 for the cured carcasses of nestling shearwaters...
are cruciform in flight, with their long wing held directly out from their bodies.
Many are long-distance migrants
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
, perhaps most spectacularly the Sooty
Sooty Shearwater
The Sooty Shearwater is a medium-large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. In New Zealand it is also known by its Māori name tītī and as "muttonbird", like its relatives the Wedge-tailed Shearwater and the Australian Short-tailed Shearwater The Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus) is...
and Short-tailed Shearwater
Short-tailed Shearwater
The Short-tailed Shearwater or Slender-billed Shearwater , also called Yolla or Moonbird, and commonly known as the muttonbird in Australia, is the most abundant seabird species in Australian waters, and is one of the few Australian native birds in which the chicks are commercially harvested...
s which perform migrations of 14,000 km or more each year.
Puffinus shearwaters come to islands and coastal cliffs only to breed. They are nocturnal at the colonial breeding sites, preferring moonless nights. This is to minimise predation. They nest in burrows and often give eerie contact calls on their nighttime visits. They lay a single white egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
.
They feed on fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, squid
Squid
Squid are cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms arranged in pairs and two, usually longer, tentacles...
and similar oceanic food. Some will follow fishing boats to take scraps, notably Sooty Shearwater; these species also commonly follow whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
s to feed on fish disturbed by them.
Taxonomy
Traditionally, Puffinus has been grouped with the Procellaria and Calonectris shearwaters. However, more recent results (Austin 1996, Heidrich et al. 1998, Austin et al. 2004) have determined that the genus is apparently paraphyletic and while in part very close to Calonectris, forms a cladeClade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
with the genera Pseudobulweria
Pseudobulweria
Pseudobulweria is a genus of seabirds in the family Procellariidae. They have long been retained with the gadfly petrel genus Pterodroma despite morphological differences. mtDNA cytochrome b sequence analysis has confirmed the split out of Pterodroma and places the genus closer to shearwaters...
and Lugensa which were formerly presumed to be gadfly petrel
Gadfly petrel
The gadfly petrels are seabirds in the bird order Procellariiformes. These medium to large petrels feed on food items picked from the ocean surface....
s, and can be divided in what has been called the "Puffinus" and the "Neonectris" group after notable species; the latter would if separated as a distinct genus be named Ardenna (Penhallurick & Wink 2004). The former is taxonomically confusing, with species having been split and re-merged in the last years (Heidrich et al. 1998, Austin et al. 2004).
Genus Puffinus
- (Sub)Genus Puffinus ("Puffinus" group) - smaller species, closely related to Calonectris
- Christmas ShearwaterChristmas ShearwaterThe 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....
, Puffinus nativitatis - Galápagos ShearwaterGalápagos ShearwaterThe Galápagos Shearwater, Puffinus subalaris is a small shearwater. Until recently it was considered to be a subspecies of Audubon's Shearwater, but it is actually one of two members of a very ancient lineage of the small Puffinus species, the other being, as indicated by mtDNA cytochrome b...
, Puffinus subalaris - Fluttering ShearwaterFluttering ShearwaterThe Fluttering Shearwater is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae family.It is found in New Zealand and Solomon Islands.Its natural habitats are open seas and rocky shores.-References:...
, Puffinus gavia - Hutton's ShearwaterHutton's ShearwaterThe Hutton's Shearwater is a species of seabird in the family Procellariidae. Its common and specific name commemorates F. W. Hutton, a former curator of the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch....
, Puffinus huttoni - Scarlett's ShearwaterScarlett's ShearwaterScarlett's Shearwater was a species of seabird in the petrel family Procellariidae. Its common name commemorates New Zealand palaeontologist Ron Scarlett....
, Puffinus spelaeus (prehistoricLate Quaternary prehistoric birdsPrehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
) - Yelkouan ShearwaterYelkouan ShearwaterThe Yelkouan Shearwater, Levantine Shearwater or Mediterranean Shearwater is a medium-sized shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae.-Description and identification:...
, Puffinus yelkouan - Balearic ShearwaterBalearic ShearwaterThe Balearic Shearwater is a medium-sized shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. It was long regarded a subspecies of the Manx Shearwater; see there for more on the Puffinus puffinus superspecies; following an initial split it was held to be a subspecies of the "Mediterranean Shearwater"...
, Puffinus mauretanicus - Menorcan Shearwater, Puffinus sp. (prehistoricLate Quaternary prehistoric birdsPrehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
) - possibly extirpated population of extant species; tentatively placed in this group - Dune Shearwater or Hole's Shearwater, Puffinus holeae (prehistoricLate Quaternary prehistoric birdsPrehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
) - Lava ShearwaterLava ShearwaterThe Lava Shearwater, Puffinus olsoni, was a species of shearwater that formerly bred on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. The species is known only from fossil remains, and was only described by science in 1990. The species was intermediate in size between the Manx Shearwater and...
or Olson's Shearwater, Puffinus olsoni (prehistoricLate Quaternary prehistoric birdsPrehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
) - tentatively placed in this group - Little ShearwaterLittle ShearwaterThe Little Shearwater is a small shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae.mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data indicates that the former North Atlantic Little Shearwater group is closer to Audubon's Shearwater , and myrtae being closer to the Newell's and possibly Townsend's Shearwater...
, Puffinus assimilis - Bryan's ShearwaterBryan's ShearwaterBryan's Shearwater is a species of shearwater that may occur around the Hawaiian Islands. It is the smallest species of shearwater and is black and white with a bluish gray beak and blue tarsi. First collected in 1963 and thought to be a Little Shearwater it was determined using DNA analysis to...
, Puffinus bryani - Heinroth's ShearwaterHeinroth's ShearwaterHeinroth's Shearwater is a poorly known seabird in the family Procellariidae. Probably a close relative of the Little Shearwater or Audubon's Shearwater , it is distinguished by a long and slender bill and a brown-washed underside.This species is restricted to the seas around the Bismarck...
, Puffinus heinrothi - Audubon's ShearwaterAudubon's ShearwaterAudubon's Shearwater, Puffinus lherminieri, is a common tropical seabird from the family Procellariidae. Sometimes called Dusky-backed Shearwater, the scientific name of this species commemorates the French naturalist Félix Louis L'Herminier....
, Puffinus lherminieri- Persian Shearwater, Puffinus (lherminieri) persicus
- Tropical Shearwater or Baillon's Shearwater, Puffinus (lherminieri) bailloni
- Bannerman's Shearwater, Puffinus (lherminieri) bannermani
- Barolo Shearwater, Puffinus (lherminieri) baroli
- Boyd's Shearwater, Puffinus (lherminieri) boydi
- Manx ShearwaterManx ShearwaterThe Manx Shearwater 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 for the cured carcasses of nestling shearwaters...
, Puffinus puffinus - Black-vented ShearwaterBlack-vented ShearwaterThe Black-vented Shearwater is a species of seabird. The bird is 30–38 cm in size, with a 76–89 cm wingspan. Formerly considered a subspecies of the Manx Shearwater, its actual relationships are unresolved....
, Puffinus opisthomelas - Townsend's ShearwaterTownsend's ShearwaterTownsend's Shearwater, Puffinus auricularis, is a rare seabird of the tropics from the family Procellariidae.Its relationships are unresolved. Its closest relatives are probably, but not certainly, the Hawaiian Shearwater and possibly the Manx Shearwater...
, Puffinus auricularis - Newell's ShearwaterNewell's ShearwaterNewell's Shearwater or Hawaiian Shearwater is a seabird belonging to the genus Puffinus in the family Procellariidae. It belongs to a confusing group of shearwaters which are difficult to identify and whose classification is controversial...
, Puffinus newelli- Rapa Shearwater, Puffinus (newelli) myrtae
- Bermuda Shearwater, Puffinus parvus (extinct) - tentatively placed in this group
- Christmas Shearwater
- (Sub)Genus Ardenna ("Neonectris" group) - larger species, a distinct lineage
- Pink-footed shearwaterPink-footed ShearwaterThe Pink-footed Shearwater is a species of seabird. The bird is 48 cm in size, with a 109 cm wingspan. It is polymorphic, having both darker and lighter phase populations...
, Puffinus creatopus - Flesh-footed ShearwaterFlesh-footed ShearwaterThe Flesh-footed Shearwater, Puffinus carneipes, is a small shearwater. Its plumage is black. It has pale pinkish feet, and a pale bill with a black tip. Together with the equally light-billed Pink-footed Shearwater, it forms the Hemipuffinus group, a superspecies which may or may not have an...
, Puffinus carneipes - Great ShearwaterGreat ShearwaterThe Great Shearwater is a large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. Its relationships are unclear. It belongs in the group of large species that could be separated as genus Ardenna ; within these, it might be allied with the other black-billed, blunt-tailed species Short-tailed...
, Puffinus gravis - Sooty ShearwaterSooty ShearwaterThe Sooty Shearwater is a medium-large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. In New Zealand it is also known by its Māori name tītī and as "muttonbird", like its relatives the Wedge-tailed Shearwater and the Australian Short-tailed Shearwater The Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus) is...
or "muttonbirdMuttonbirdMuttonbird, mutton-bird or mutton bird refer to seabirds – particularly certain large shearwaters – whose young are collected for food and other uses before they fledge ....
" (New Zealand), Puffinus griseus - Short-tailed ShearwaterShort-tailed ShearwaterThe Short-tailed Shearwater or Slender-billed Shearwater , also called Yolla or Moonbird, and commonly known as the muttonbird in Australia, is the most abundant seabird species in Australian waters, and is one of the few Australian native birds in which the chicks are commercially harvested...
or "muttonbirdMuttonbirdMuttonbird, mutton-bird or mutton bird refer to seabirds – particularly certain large shearwaters – whose young are collected for food and other uses before they fledge ....
" (Southern Australia), Puffinus tenuirostris - Wedge-tailed ShearwaterWedge-tailed ShearwaterThe Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Puffinus pacificus is a medium-large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. It is one of the shearwater species that is sometimes referred to as a Muttonbird, like the Sooty Shearwater of New Zealand and the Short-tailed Shearwater of Australia...
or "muttonbirdMuttonbirdMuttonbird, mutton-bird or mutton bird refer to seabirds – particularly certain large shearwaters – whose young are collected for food and other uses before they fledge ....
" (Northern and western Australia), Puffinus pacificus - Buller's ShearwaterBuller's ShearwaterBuller's Shearwater is a Pacific species of seabird in the family Procellariidae; it is also known as the Grey-backed Shearwater or New Zealand Shearwater...
, Puffinus bulleri
- Pink-footed shearwater
Fossil record
Several fossilFossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
species which became extinct long ago are also known. It appears that the proportion of larger ("Neonectris") species was larger before the Pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
, i.e. before marine mammals diversified:
- "Puffinus" group
- Puffinus tedfordi (Pleistocene of W North America)
- Puffinus nestori (Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene of Ibiza)
- "Neonectris" group
- Puffinus conradi (Early Miocene of Calvert County, USA)
- Puffinus cf. tenuirostris (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Lee Creek Mine, USA)
- Puffinus sp. 1 (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Lee Creek Mine, USA)
- Puffinus sp. 2 (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Lee Creek Mine, USA)
- Puffinus pacificoides (Pleistocene of Saint Helena, Atlantic)
- Unassigned
- ?Puffinus raemdonckii (Early Oligocene of Belgium) - formerly in LarusLarusLarus is a large genus of gulls with worldwide distribution . Many of its species are abundant and well-known birds in their ranges...
- Puffinus micraulax (Early Miocene of C Florida, USA) - probably "Puffinus" group
- Puffinus sp. (Early Miocene of Calvert County, USA) - see Wetmore, 1926
- Puffinus sp. (Early Pliocene of South Africa) - see Olson, 1985
- Puffinus felthami (Pleistocene of W North America)
- Puffinus kanakoffi (Pleistocene of W North America)
- ?Puffinus raemdonckii (Early Oligocene of Belgium) - formerly in Larus
"Puffinus" arvernensis (Early Miocene of France) is now considered a primitive albatross
Albatross
Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds allied to the procellariids, storm-petrels and diving-petrels in the order Procellariiformes . They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific...
of the fossil genus Plotornis.