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How does the manx shearwater see?

Puffinus puffinus · order Procellariiformes · Birds

The manx shearwater has four colour channels, including violet (402, 452, 503 and 566 nm).[1] Its sharpest vision resolves 8.9 cycles per degree, against 63.75 for people in this dataset.[5] Its eyes cover about 307° with 16° seen by both eyes.[12] The manx shearwater stops seeing flicker at 88.5 Hz, against 60 Hz for people.[29][30][31][32][33]

Red tulips under a blue sky, as you see them.Red tulips under a blue sky as a manx shearwater sees them (simulation): colours remapped to its 4 receptor classes, and fine detail softened.
Manx shearwater: 4 colour receptor classes (402, 452, 503, 566 nm), 8.9 cycles per degree, 88.5 Hz flicker fusion.
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  • 4colour receptor classesMeasured
  • 8.9cycles per degree (sharpness)Measured
  • 307°field of viewEstimated
  • 88.5hertz flicker fusion (motion)Estimated

The manx shearwater (Puffinus puffinus) is a bird in the order Procellariiformes. Its eyes belong to the vision type Panoramic grain-eater and wader: four cone types, low to moderate sharpness and an almost all-round field of view. Measured in this species: colour, sharpness, field of view and night vision. Measured core: measured values on at least 3 of the 6 dials.

This is a simulation built from published eye measurements, not what the animal experiences.

Method: How we know what animals see (the See Like Animals vision engine) · Sources · Last updated . Every value below carries its evidence level and sources; nothing is typed by hand.

What the manx shearwater sees: colour receptors

Manx shearwater colour receptor peaks, 300 to 700 nmManx shearwater: 4 receptor peaks at 402, 452, 503, 566 nm; you: 3 at 421.5, 532, 558.4 nm. ultraviolet300400500600700
Manx shearwater: 402, 452, 503, 566 nmPeople: 421.5, 532, 558.4 nmWavelength in nanometres

What does a manx shearwater's vision look like?

The photo above shows red tulips through this eye: drag the line to compare it with your own view. The manx shearwater has four colour channels, including violet (402, 452, 503 and 566 nm).[1] Fine detail is blurred to what 8.9 cycles per degree can resolve.

Can the manx shearwater see colour?

Yes. The manx shearwater has four colour channels, including violet (402, 452, 503 and 566 nm); people have 3.[1]

How far can the manx shearwater see?

Distance depends on the size of what is seen, so sharpness is the measure. The manx shearwater resolves 8.9 cycles per degree, against 63.75 for people in this dataset, so a detail must be about 7.2 times larger, or that much closer, for it to make it out as well as a person.[5]

Can the manx shearwater see in the dark?

The catalogue records activity pattern: diurnal and rods vs cones: cone-dominated. Night mode in the tool uses these traits by a stated engine rule, not a measured sensitivity.[17][18][1][19]

Does the manx shearwater see in slow motion?

The manx shearwater stops seeing flicker at 88.5 Hz, against 60 Hz for people in this dataset. So it sees fast motion in about 1.5 times as many steps: to it, our fast motion looks slower.[29][30][31][32][33]

How does the manx shearwater see red flowers?

The red tulips in the photo above are shown as the manx shearwater would see them: with colours remapped to its receptors, and blurred to 8.9 cycles per degree.

What stands out

  • It has 4 colour receptor classes; people have 3.
  • Its sharpest vision resolves 8.9 cycles per degree: the finest stripe pattern it can tell apart from grey.
  • Its eyes cover about 307° around the head, with 16° seen by both eyes at once.
  • It stops seeing flicker at 88.5 Hz, against 60 Hz for people in this dataset, so fast motion looks about 1.5 times slower to it.[31][32]
  • Activity pattern: diurnal.

The six dials

Evidence levels: how the tiers work. "Measured" means a value measured in this species; "Estimated" values come from a close relative or an eye-size formula. The last column gives the values for people from the same catalogue.

Vision values for the manx shearwater (Puffinus puffinus), catalogue-v1
DialValueEvidenceSourcesPeople
ColourColour receptors
4 receptor classes: 402 nm (VS/SWS (violet)), 452 nm (SWS (blue)), 503 nm (MWS (green)), 566 nm (LWS (long))
measured in this species
Measured[1]Colour receptors: 3 receptor classes: 421.5 nm (VS/SWS (violet)), 532 nm (MWS (green)), 558.4 nm (LWS (long)) Measured (not re-verified)[1][2][3][4]
SharpnessAcuity
8.9 cycles per degree
median of 1 anatomical-ganglion rows (method priority rule)
Measured[5]Acuity: 63.75 cycles per degree Measured[6][7]
Field of viewBinocular overlap
16°
median of 1 rows (eyes-at-rest rows preferred)
Measured[8]Binocular overlap: 122.5° Measured[9][10]
Total field of view: 200° Measured (not re-verified)[11]
Blind area behind the head: 160° Derived[11]
Eye placement: frontal Derived[9][10]
Total field of view
307°
median total field (measured, or 360 - blind area) of relatives in genus Puffinus: Puffinus bailloni, Puffinus pacificus
Estimated[12]
Blind area behind the head
53°		Estimated[12]
Eye placement
lateral
frontal if binocular overlap >= 60 deg, else lateral
Derived[8]
Sharp zones (foveas)Number of foveas
1
median of 48 relatives in class Aves: Branta canadensis, Cardinalis cardinalis, Passerina cyanea, Zenaida macroura, Cyanocitta cristata, Junco hyemalis
Group default[13][14][15]Number of foveas: 1 Measured[16]
Fovea type: fovea Measured[16]
Fovea type
single central fovea (displaced dorso-temporally from retinal centre)		Group default[13][14][15]
Night visionActivity pattern
diurnal
mode of 4 rows (of 4 rows): cathemeral; diurnal; not_nocturnal
Measured (not re-verified)[17][18][1][19]Activity pattern: diurnal Measured (not re-verified)[20][21][22][1][23][24][25][19]
Pupil shape: vertical Group default[26][27]
Reflective layer (tapetum): no Measured[28]
Rods vs cones: cone-dominated Derived[20][21][22][1][23][24][25][19]
Rods vs cones
cone-dominated
nocturnal -> rod-dominated; crepuscular / cathemeral / mixed -> mixed; diurnal -> cone-dominated
Derived[17][18][1][19]
Motion (flicker fusion)Flicker fusion frequency
88.5 Hz
median of 17 relatives in class Aves: Bubo virginianus, Melopsittacus undulatus, Passer domesticus, Taeniopygia guttata, Columba livia, Calypte anna
Group default[29][30][31][32][33]Flicker fusion frequency: 60 Hz Measured[31][32]

Related animals

The same tulips as a wedge-tailed shearwater sees them.Wedge-tailed shearwaterPanoramic grain-eater and waderThe same tulips as a rock pigeon sees them.Rock pigeonPanoramic grain-eater and wader

More birds: all birds with measured vision data. Same eye type: Panoramic grain-eater and wader.

Sources

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  2. Kirwan J. luxR 0.1.1: Underwater Light Analysis and Visual Ecology (R-universe), data species_sensitivities. github.com/JohnKirwan/luxR
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  7. Veilleux CC, Kirk EC 2014. Visual acuity in mammals. Brain Behav Evol 83:43, Supplementary Table 1 (cleaned CSV in Evo-M1-Trait-Data). doi.org/10.1159/000357830
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  9. Heesy CP 2004. On the relationship between orbit orientation and binocular visual field overlap in mammals. Anat Rec 281A:1104, Table 1. doi.org/10.1002/ar.a.20116
  10. Heffner RS, Heffner HE 1992. Visual factors in sound localization in mammals. J Comp Neurol 317:219, Table 1 (via Evo-M1 sensory merge). doi.org/10.1002/cne.903170302
  11. species_v1:Campbell & Green 1965
  12. Lucas EA, Martin GR, Rocamora G, Portugal SJ. 2024. A seabird's eye view: visual fields of some seabirds (Laridae and Procellariidae) from tropical latitudes. The Science of Nature (Naturwissenschaften) 111. ESM 1.. doi.org/10.1007/s00114-024-01926-4
  13. Moore BA, Tyrrell LP, Pita D, Bininda-Emonds ORP, Fernandez-Juricic E 2017. Does retinal configuration make the head and eyes of foveate birds move? Sci Rep 7: 38406. Appendix 1.. doi.org/10.1038/srep38406
  14. Potier S, Mitkus M, Bonadonna F, Duriez O, Isard P-F, Dulaurent T, Mentek M, Kelber A 2017. Eye size, fovea, and foraging ecology in accipitriform raptors. Brain Behav Evol 90: 232-242. Supplementary material (Tables S1, S2).. doi.org/10.1159/000479783
  15. Rodrigues T, Matter MM, Chiodini A, et al. 2026. Foveal vision in fast-flying birds hunting on the wing. bioRxiv 2026.06.05.730304. doi.org/10.64898/2026.06.05.730304
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  22. Wilman et al. 2014 EltonTraits 1.0, MamFuncDat.txt. doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
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  24. Jones KE et al. 2009. PanTHERIA: a species-level database of life history, ecology, and geography of extant and recently extinct mammals. Ecology 90:2648. Ecological Archives E090-184. doi.org/10.1890/08-1494.1
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  27. Cervino NG et al. 2021. A closer look at pupil diversity and evolution in frogs and toads. Proc R Soc B 288:20211402. doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.15112050.v1
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  32. Inger R, Bennie J, Davies TW, Gaston KJ. 2014. Potential biological and ecological effects of flickering artificial light. PLoS ONE 9(5): e98631. Table 3. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0098631
  33. Lafitte A, Sordello R, Legrand M, Nicolas V, Obein G, Reyjol Y. 2022. A flashing light may not be that flashy: A systematic review on critical fusion frequencies. PLoS ONE 17(12): e0279718. S10 File (CFF database). doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279718

Every value cites its sources (all sources). Values were extracted from these works and converted (units, medians, derived values); changes are ours, and the listed sources do not endorse this site. Data: catalogue-v1, built 2026-09-29. Accuracy notes: how accurate is this? Method: how we know.