Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus)Where and when to see it in the UK
Status not yet classified · reporting peaks August · Petrels, Shearwaters, and Diving Petrels · BOU category AF
Peak months
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (grid squares, place names from OS Open Names). Northern Ireland place names: OSNI Open Data, OGL v3.0. County and country boundaries: Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence v3.0. Coastline: Natural Earth. Bird records from the data partners listed here.
Manx Shearwater has been recorded in 987 of the 2,971 10 km squares covering UK land (33%) in records to 2026. Its strongest squares are in Scotland, England and Wales. Reporting peaks in August.
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, LC)
View on the IUCN Red List- Very high
- 30% or more of visits
- High
- 9% to 30%
- Moderate
- 3% to 9%
- Low
- under 3%
- Surveyed, not recorded
- at least 20 qualifying visits, no record
- Insufficient records
- too few visits to say
- Lighter fill
- Few visits, lower confidence
- Small dot
- Occasional: a single record, or out of season
Relative to this species' best squares (how classes are calculated)
Seasonality
| Month | Relative to peak | Share of visits | Typical class |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1% | <1% | Low |
| February | 2% | <1% | Low |
| March | 6% | <1% | Low |
| April | 19% | <1% | Very high |
| May | 30% | 1% | Low |
| June | 48% | 2% | Very high |
| July | 75% | 3% | Very high |
| August | 100% | 3% | Very high |
| September | 70% | 2% | Very high |
| October | 29% | <1% | Low |
| November | 7% | <1% | Low |
| December | 3% | <1% | Low |
Squares with the highest reporting rate in August
| Square | Where | Share of visits | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| D22 | Causeway Coast and Glens, Northern Ireland | 100% | Very high |
| D41 | Sea, off Mid and East Antrim | 100% | Very high |
| HP52 | Sea, off Shetland Islands | 100% | Very high |
| HU64 | Sea, off Shetland Islands | 100% | Very high |
| HU69 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| HU72 | Sea, off Shetland Islands | 100% | Very high |
| HU87 | Sea, off Shetland Islands | 100% | Very high |
| J68 | Sea, off Ards and North Down | 100% | Very high |
| NB41 | Na h-Eileanan Siar, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| NB42 | Na h-Eileanan Siar, Scotland | 100% | Very high |