Balearic Shearwater
Puffinus mauretanicus
Silhouette: Juan Carlos Jerí · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderProcellariiformes (Tubenoses)
- FamilyProcellariidae (Shearwaters and Petrels)
- GenusPuffinus (Small Shearwaters)
- SpeciesPuffinus mauretanicus (Balearic Shearwater)
About the Balearic Shearwater
The Balearic shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus) is a medium-sized shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. Puffinus is a Neo-Latin loanword based on the English "puffin" and its variants, that referred to the cured carcass of the fat nestling of the Manx shearwater, a former delicacy. The specific mauretanicus refers to Mauretania, an old name for an area of North Africa roughly corresponding to Morocco and Algeria. The Balearic Shearwater is listed critically endangered by the IUCN and is one of Europe's most endangered seabirds.
The Balearic shearwater was formally described in 1921 by the English ornithologist Percy Lowe. He treated it as a subspecies of the Manx shearwater and coined the trinomial name Puffinus puffinus mauretanicus. The Balearic shearwater was long regarded a subspecies of the Manx shearwater. Following an initial split, it was held to be a subspecies of the "Mediterranean shearwater" for nearly ten more years, until it was resolved to be a distinct species, separate from the yelkouan shearwater.
A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2021 found very little genetic difference between the Balearic shearwater and the yelkouan shearwater... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Balearic Shearwater in Doñana National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Doñana National Park
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Balearic Shearwater in Doñana National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Balearic Shearwater sighting in Doñana National Park, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Balearic Shearwater in Doñana National Park?
December has the highest sighting rate for Balearic Shearwater in Doñana National Park in our monthly data.