Balearic Shearwater

Overview

Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus) is a species of Petrels, Shearwaters, Diving Petrels (Procellariidae) in the order Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters.

Scientific Classification

Genus: Puffinus; binomial: Puffinus mauretanicus; authority: Lowe, 1921.

Distribution

Breeding range: the Atlantic Ocean. Non-breeding range: to Atlantic coasts of sw Europe and nw Africa.

Conservation Status

This taxon is listed as Extant (living) in the IOC World Bird List.

Remarks

Balearic Shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus is a proposed lump with Yelkouan Shearwater Puffinus yelkouan based on evidence of frequent interbreeding and the presence of numerous mixed colonies (e.g. Genovart et al. 2012), and recent rigorous genomic studies that demonstrate minimal divergence and lack of monophyly (Obiol et al. 2022, Obiol et al. 2023). The merged species, Puffinus yelkouan is assigned the English name Mediterranean Shearwater.