The Manx shearwater
is a pelagic and gregarious species that is about 25% smaller than the Cory’s shearwater. During the breeding
season (April - August) individuals meet in bands at sea, towards the end of
the afternoon, before returning to land where they spend the night. On land
they are quite clumsy. They are similar in
appearance to Macaronesian shearwaters, however the colour of the head is
different (in the Manx shearwater the dark
zone on the head reaches below the eyes). These birds fly by rapidly
beating their wings with fast and strong strokes that carry them over the
water. They are efficient divers, feeding both at the surface and underwater.
The single egg is laid in the middle of
April and newborns fledge at about 70 days of age (in the Azores most newborns
leave the nest in the middle of August). This species spends the winter off
South America. The Manx shearwater is listed in the Portuguese red book with
the status of "Endangered" in Portugal and "Vulnerable" in the Azores and
Madeira. This species is classified as "uncommon breeding" in the Azores.
Length: 30 - 38 cm
Weight: 375 - 447 g
Wingspan: 76 - 82 cm
Population:
• Global: c.1,000,000
• Azores: 115 - 235 breeding pairs (has been restricted to the two islands of the occidental group)
Breeding age: 5 years
Longevity:
• Typical: c.15 years
• Maximum: 50 years
Diet: Small fish, squid, crustaceans and fish
Eggs: 1 (white)
Incubation: 47 - 55 days
Nesting sites: Inacessible cliffs
Fledging: 62 - 76 days
In other languages:
Portuguese: Estapagado
Spanish: Pardela pichoneta/Lechuzón mocho chico
French: Puffin des Anglais
Italian: Berta minore atlantica
German: Schwartzschnabel sturmtaucher
Dutch: Noordse pijlstormvogel
Swedish: Mindre lira
Norwegian: Havlire
Danish: Almindelig skråpe
Finnish: Pikkuliitäjä
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