The Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus): The Nocturnal Ghost of the Oceans
The Manx Shearwater is a master of gliding flight, using air currents over the waves with remarkable efficiency.
The Ghost of the Oceans
The Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus) is a fascinating seabird that spends most of its life out on the open ocean. Known for its unique flight style, it glides gracefully over the waves with its strong wings. One of the most remarkable things about this bird is its incredible migration journey across the Atlantic. However, what really sets it apart is its behavior on land: to steer clear of predators, such as the Herring Gull, it only comes to its breeding colonies at night. Its eerie, loud calls have even earned it the nickname "ghost of the oceans."
Identifying the Manx Shearwater
This is a medium-sized bird with long, narrow wings. Its identification relies on several key features:
High-Contrast Plumage: The upperparts, including the cap, are a solid black or brownish-black, which contrasts sharply with the entirely white underparts. This dividing line runs just below the eye.
Characteristic Flight: It flies low over the water with a series of rapid, shallow wingbeats followed by long glides, tilting from side to side as if "shearing" the wave tops.
Slender, Dark Bill: The bill is long, thin, and dark grey to black, topped with the tubular nostrils typical of its family.
Legs: The pinkish legs are set far back on the body, making it very clumsy on land, where it shuffles on its belly.
Our Ornithologist's Advice
By the Les-Oiseaux.com team, published on July 17, 2025
My advice: For an unforgettable experience with the Manx Shearwater, don't just settle for a glimpse at sea. The essence of this bird is revealed at night. If you visit a place like the British Isles or Brittany's Sept-Îles during the breeding season (April-July), look into respectful nocturnal tours organized by reserve managers.
The spectacle is astonishing. In the darkness, the silence is suddenly broken by incredible calls—a chorus of cackles and wails that seem to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. Seeing the swift silhouettes of shearwaters returning to their burrows at dusk and hearing this nocturnal cacophony is an almost supernatural experience that connects you to the secret life of the ocean.
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Strange Nocturnal Calls
Generally silent at sea, the Manx Shearwater becomes extremely noisy at night in its colonies. Its vocalizations are a mix of cackles, mews, and harsh, grating calls. These sounds, often emitted as a duet from within the burrows, create a spectacular and memorable soundscape that has fueled many local legends.
Manx Shearwater vs. Balearic Shearwater: Don't Confuse Them
The Manx Shearwater can be confused with the Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus), a very similar species with a critically endangered conservation status. Here's how to tell them apart:
Manx Shearwater
Contrast: Very sharp, deep black above and pure white below.
Shape: Slightly larger and more "pot-bellied" or robust.
Status: Critically Endangered.
Tip: The main criterion is the contrast. If the bird appears clearly bicolored "black and white," it's a Manx Shearwater. If the plumage looks duller, brownish, and the transition between dark and light is gradual, it's likely a Balearic Shearwater. Another confusion is possible with the much larger and bulkier Cory's Shearwater.
Habitat and Trans-equatorial Migration
The Manx Shearwater is a bird of the Atlantic Ocean.Shearwaters breeds in dense colonies on islands and coastal headlands, often on grassy slopes where it can dig its burrow. The largest colonies are in the British Isles, which host the majority of the world's population. After breeding, it undertakes a long migration south to spend the winter off the coasts of Brazil and Argentina, an impressive trans-equatorial journey.
Distribution Map
The map below illustrates its breeding areas in orange and its resident or wintering areas in purple.
Breeding Range
Non-breeding Range (Wintering)
Diet and Pursuit-Diving
Its diet consists mainly of small fish like sprats, herring, and sand lances, as well as cephalopods (squid) and crustaceans. To feed, it catches prey at the water's surface or makes shallow dives from the air. It is also capable of swimming underwater in pursuit of its prey and can dive to depths of 30-50 meters. It sometimes benefits from dolphins or tuna driving schools of fish towards the surface.
Nesting in Burrows
The Manx Shearwater is monogamous, and pairs often remain faithful for life. They nest in burrows that they dig themselves or borrow from rabbits. The breeding season begins in March with their return to the colonies. The female lays a single white egg. Both parents share the incubation, which lasts about 50 days, and the rearing of the chick. The adults only visit the nest at night to feed their young, in order to escape predators like Great Black-backed Gulls. To find food, they can travel hundreds of kilometers on a single foraging trip.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How far does the Manx Shearwater migrate?
Most Manx Shearwaters undertake a transatlantic and trans-equatorial migration to winter off the coast of South America. This journey covers a distance of over 6,200 miles (10,000 km) each way.
Why is the Manx Shearwater so noisy at night?
The nocturnal calls are a crucial part of their social life. These vocalizations, emitted from burrows or in flight over the colony, are used for communication between partners and for defending their territory in the dark.
Where can Manx Shearwaters be seen?
Manx Shearwaters breed on islands in the North Atlantic, with the world's largest colonies located in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Smaller populations breed in Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and France (Brittany). Outside the breeding season, they can be seen at sea during their migration along the Atlantic coasts of Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
