| Barolo Shearwater | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Procellariiformes |
| Family: | Procellariidae |
| Genus: | Puffinus |
| Species: | P. (lherminieri) baroli |
| Binomial name | |
| Puffinus (lherminieri) baroli Bonaparte, 1857 |
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The Barolo Shearwater (Puffinus lherminieri baroli), also known as the North Atlantic Little Shearwater or Macaronesian Shearwater, is a small shearwater which breeds in the North Atlantic. Until recently, it was considered conspecific with the Little Shearwater (Puffinus assimilis) of the Southern Hemisphere. mtDNA cytochrome b sequence analysis (Austin et al., 2004) indicates, however, that baroli and boydi are very close to the nominate subspecies of Audubon's Shearwater. Whether the morphological distinctness and the non-overlapping ranges, or the genetic similarity[1] are considered to be more significant is presently a matter of opinion, and the taxonomical status of these birds remains equivocal. Although some institutions (such as BirdLife International) currently retain the forms baroli and boydi within Little Shearwater, this is as a result of inaccurate lumping in the past, and is not supported by modern evidence. Barolo and Boyd's shearwaters both continue in the Audubon's Shearwater group here until more of a consensus is reached. The BOU has recently accepted P. baroli as a distinct species (Sangster et al. 2005), as has the Clements checklist.
The binomial name commemorates the Italian marquis Carlo Tancredi Falletti di Barolo.
Features that distinguish the Barolo Shearwater from the Manx Shearwater and other North Atlantic Puffinus species include the pale face, silvery panel in the upperwings, shorter more rounded wings, and blue feet (McGeehan & Mullarney 1995, Martin & Rowlands 2001).
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