Puffinus fossil map
Where fossils of Puffinus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 0 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Prehistoric birds |
|---|---|
| Lived | 23.04 million years ago to the present (Aquitanian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Procellariidae |
| Named by | Brisson 1760 |
| Fossil records | 244 occurrences at 149 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, French Polynesia, New Zealand, Pitcairn, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Spain, Mexico, Palau, Cayman Islands, Virgin Islands, U.S. … |
| Rock formations | txn:39695, San Diego, Temblor, Monterey, Yorktown, Almejas |
About Puffinus
Puffinus is a genus of seabirds in the order Procellariiformes that contains about 20 small to medium-sized shearwaters. Two other shearwater genera are named: Calonectris, which comprises three or four large shearwaters, and Ardenna with another seven species (formerly often included within Puffinus).
The taxonomy of this group is the cause of much debate, and the number of recognised species varies with the source.
The species in this group are long-winged birds, dark brown or black above, and white to dark brown below. They are pelagic outside the breeding season. They are most common in temperate and cold waters.
These tubenose birds fly with stiff wings, and use a shearing flight technique to move across wave fronts with the minimum of active flight. Some small species, such as the Manx shearwater, are cruciform in flight, with their long wings held directly out from their bodies.
Many are long-distance migrants, perhaps most spectacularly the sooty and short-tailed shearwaters, which perform migrations of 14,000 km or more each year.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Puffinus (revision 1380718667), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q858279.
