Cagarra (Puffinus kuhli)

Indigenous seabird of the Procellariidae family. It migrates from October to November, returning at the end of February or beginning of March to breed in June. It lays a single completely white egg on the steep coastal rocks, which is ready to hatch after a month. It is hunted on all the islands, but it is mainly in the Desertas and Selvagens that the capture becomes profitable. Currently, the number of new individuals hunted annually in the Selvagens by men from S. Gonçalo and Caniço averages around 18,000. The cagarra, after being salted, is brought to Madeira, where it is sold preferably to the lower classes, who greatly appreciate it despite its pronounced fishy taste and oily character. The hunters of the Selvagens also call it 'pardela', similar to the Spaniards of the Canaries.