Extremely rare vagrant. One dead on beach in SA. Several possible sightings in south-eastern Australia.
Habitat
Marine, pelagic in sub-Arctic and sub-tropical waters of the North Atlantic and north-eastern Pacific Oceans and in the Mediterranean, migrating in the non-breeding season to tropical and sub-tropical waters along South American and southern African coasts, occasionally ranging south into sub-Antarctic waters.
Argentina, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada (B), Chile, Denmark (P), Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Faroe Islands (B), France (B) (NB) (P), French Guiana, Iceland (B), Ireland (B), Liberia, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands Antilles, Norway (B), Portugal (B) (NB), Puerto Rico, Senegal, South Africa, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Spain, St Pierre and Miquelon (P), Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom (B) (P), Uruguay (NB), USA (B), Venezuela, Western Sahara.
Vagrant to Angola, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Belize, Cape Verde, Costa Rica, Côte dIvoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Germany, Ghana, Greenland, Mauritania, New Zealand, Nigeria, St Vincent and The Grenadines, Sweden, Switzerland.
Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus) [XC326904]
by david m from Skokholm Island, Pembrokeshire, Wales, United Kingdom (wing beats)
Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus) [XC338662]
by david m from Marloes and St. Brides, Pembrokeshire, Wales, United Kingdom (call)
Breeding Season (Guide)
Does not breed in Australia. Breeds in northern hemisphere.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Nest
At the end of a burrow. In colonies.
Eggs (Guide)
1; white. Incubation: 47 - 55 days; by both sexes.
Subspecies
The following 6 subspecies are recognised:
puffinus (Brünnich, 1764) - Breeds in the North Atlantic has been recorded in Australia.
newelli Henshaw, 1900 - Breeds Kauai (Hawaiian Islands); dispersal unknown. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Newell's Shearwater (Puffinus newelli).
auricularis C. H. Townsend, 1890 - Breeds on Revillagigedo Island off Mexico. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Townsend's Shearwater (Puffinus auricularis).
yelkoan Acerbi, 1827 - Breeds in the eastern Mediterranean. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Yelkouan Shearwater (Puffinus yelkouan).
mauretanicus Lowe, 1921 - Breeds Balearic Islands; ranges to coastal northern Europe. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus).
opisthomelas Coues, 1864 - Islands off western coast of Baja Calif.; disperses adj. Mexican waters. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Black-vented Shearwater (Puffinus opisthomelas).
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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BirdLife International Species Factsheet