Wildlife

What a Seabird Needs

The lives of all seabirds have some features in common.

• Seabirds spend most of their lives at sea. Some are adapted for long durations on the wing, and others can rest on the ocean’s surface.

• They obtain their food from the open water: they hunt for long periods across the surface of the sea for the widely scattered places where their prey concentrate.

• The majority of seabirds only come to shore to nest. Even at this time they obtain all their food from the sea.

• To breed, they must have nesting areas that are (1) the appropriate habitat for each species, (2) relatively close to concentrations of necessary marine foods, and (3) safe from predators. Uninhabited islands and sheer headlands fill these criteria. The majority of seabirds can only nest in such places.

• After raising their young, the birds return to the sea until the following year.

Last updated:September 8, 2008