Types of Seabirds
The Adélie penguin is an Antarctic penguin, closely related to the gentoo and chinstrap penguins. Together, these three species are known as the brushtail penguins. The Adélie penguin is a relatively small species with a black back and head, a white front, and a characteristic white ring around the eyes.
The African penguin, the only penguin species to breed in Africa, weighs in between 2,1 and 3,7 kg and stands some 50 cm high. This species breeds around 4 years of age, laying one to two eggs which a weight of just over a 100g each. Incubation period for the African penguin is 40 days and chicks fledge between 60 and 130 days.
American White Pelican: Pelecanus erythrorhynchos Appearance: With a wingspan as great as nine and a half feet, the American white pelican is one of North America's largest birds. In flight, white pelicans have a graceful strong flight and usually fly in large flocks high in the air and in a V formation.
The Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) is a tern in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar breeding distribution covering the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America (as far south as Brittany and Massachusetts).
The Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica), also known as the common puffin, is a species of seabird in the auk family. It is the only puffin native to the Atlantic Ocean; two related species, the tufted puffin and the horned puffin, are found in the northeastern Pacific.
About The Black Guillemot is a small auk that breeds among rocks at the base of cliffs, on lower slopes, or on rocky islands; they tend to be seen in small numbers.
The South Asian black-bellied tern is threatened by habitat loss, egg collecting for food, pollution and predation. In New Zealand, the black-fronted tern is facing a rapid fall in numbers due to predation by introduced mammals and Australian magpies. Disturbance by cattle and sheep and by human activities is also a factor.
A common gull of the Old World, Black-headed Gull is a rare, but regular visitor to eastern North America.
The annual mortality rate of Black-legged Kittiwakes in NE England from 1954 to 1998 and a recent exceptionally high mortality. Waterbirds no. 22 (1):3-13. Close Coulson and Strowger 1999, Fairweather, J. A. and J. C. Coulson. 1995b. The influence of forced site change on the dispersal and breeding of the Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla.
The Black-tailed Gull is a medium-sized seabird with a fairly small breeding range of 157,000 square kilometers in coastal habitats of eastern China, Russia, the Korean peninsula, and Japan. It winters in coastal waters near its breeding grounds although vagrants also occur in Alaska and other parts of North America.
The name booby comes from the Spanish word bobo ("stupid", "foolish", or "clown") because the blue-footed booby is, like other seabirds, clumsy on land. They are also regarded as foolish for their apparent fearlessness of humans.
Brown Pelican: Pelecanus occidentalis Appearance: Brown pelicans are large, shore-dwelling birds. They reach sizes up to 48 inches long from head to tail, with a 6-7 foot wingspan and a weight of about 8 pounds. They are strong swimmers and graceful fliers, but are rather clumsy when walking on land.
The Caspian Tern is the largest tern (60cm) and is nearly as long as the Kelp Gull (62 cm), however at least 6 cm of its length is in the tail. Calls Common calls include a deep barky 'kah' or 'krah' and higher, squealed calls: 'ai-air-arrk'.
This name is used informally to refer to a common local species or all gulls in general, and has no fixed taxonomic meaning. [citation needed] In common usage, gull-like seabirds that are not technically gulls (e.g. albatrosses, fulmars, terns, and skuas) may also be referred to as seagulls by the layperson.
The common murre or common guillemot (Uria aalge) is a large auk. It is also known as the thin-billed murre in North America. It has a circumpolar distribution, occurring in low-Arctic and boreal waters in the North Atlantic and North Pacific.
The common tern (Sterna hirundo) is a seabird in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, its four subspecies breeding in temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migratory, wintering in coastal tropical and subtropical regions.
The Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus) is the most massive member of the pelican family, and perhaps the world's largest freshwater bird, although rivaled in weight and length by the largest swans.
Like many seabirds, petrels stay at sea nearly all their lives, returning to land only to breed. Birds called "petrel" are found in several scientific families. While some classifications are not universally accepted, the true petrels are generally considered part of the
The double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It occurs along inland waterways as well as in coastal areas, and is widely distributed across North America, from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska down to Florida and Mexico. Measuring 70–90 cm (28–35 in) in length, it is an all-black bird ...
However, unlike in some other penguin species, emperor penguins often have different partners from year to year. As nesting colonies only form during the winter, emperor penguins are hard to study. It is very difficult for people to spend the winter in Antarctica.
The European herring gull is a large seagull – one of approximately 55 species of seagulls – that lives along the North Atlantic coast of Europe and westernmost Asia. Adults have mostly white heads and bodies and grey wings. It is a common species throughout its range and can be distinguished from superficially similar species by body size and location. The European herring gull reaches more than two feet (60 cm) and is one of the larger gulls in Europe.
The Galápagos Penguin is the smallest South American penguin and the only one to live on the equator, a region it shares with other seabirds such as the Waved Albatross. It is the most northerly breeding penguin species in the world.
Rather than the standard tuxedo appearance of many other penguin species, gentoo penguins are characterized by bright ... Seabirds Gentoo Penguin. Pygoscelis ...
Large stout-bodied gull, with broad wings, a thick neck, and a heavy, slightly bulbous bill. Breeding adults are dark gray, nearly black above with a white head and underparts. Note pink legs.
The great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), known as the great black cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the black cormorant in Australia, the large cormorant in India and the black shag further south in New Zealand, is a widespread member of the cormorant family of seabirds.
The great white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) also known as the eastern white pelican, rosy pelican or white pelican is a bird in the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and Africa, in swamps and shallow lakes.
Unlike Tufted Puffins, Horned Puffins find cozy crevices in rocky cliffs to lay their eggs and raise their chicks. Horned Puffins lay only one plain white egg. Like all others members of the Alcidae family, both parents incubate the egg and raise the growing chick.
A small penguin that lives along the tropical and temperate eastern Pacific Ocean, south of the equator, the Humboldt penguin is named after an explorer who visited that region at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries.
The king penguin is the largest penguin outside of Antarctica. King penguins are foraging predators that feed primarily on fishes (but occasionally take squids) in shallow water near their nesting sites. Many predatory seabirds are known to take juvenile king penguins, while leopard seals, killer whales, and other large predators are the only species that typically eat adults.
The laughing gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) is a medium-sized gull of North and South America. The genus name Leucophaeus is from Ancient Greek leukos, "white", and phaios, "dusky". The specific atricilla is from Latin ater, "black", and cilla, "tail".
The lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus) ... Larus appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird, and fuscus meant black or brown. Subspecies
An auk or alcid is a bird of the family Alcidae in the order Charadriiformes. The alcid family includes the murres, guillemots, auklets, puffins, and murrelets. Apart from the extinct great auk, all auks are notable for their ability to "fly" under water as well as in the air.
Like those of all penguins, the little penguin's wings have developed into flippers used for swimming. The little penguin typically grows to between 30 and 33 cm (12 and 13 in) tall and usually weighs about 1.5 kg on average (3.3 lb).
The little tern (Sternula albifrons) is a seabird of the family, Laridae. It was formerly placed into the genus Sterna, which now is restricted to the large white terns. The genus name is a diminutive of Sterna, "tern".
The macaroni penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus) is a species of penguin found from the Subantarctic to the Antarctic Peninsula. One of six species of crested penguin, it is very closely related to the royal penguin, and some authorities consider the two to be a single species.
Magellanic penguin on Argentina's coast Swimming underwater at Berlin Zoo, Germany Magellanic penguins are medium-sized penguins which grow to be 61–76 cm (24–30 in) tall and weigh between 2.7 and 6.5 kg (6.0 and 14.3 lb).
The magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) is a seabird of the frigatebird family Fregatidae. With a length of 89–114 centimetres (35–45 in) it is the largest species of frigatebird.
The Neotropic Cormorant has a large range, estimated globally at 18,000,000 square kilometers. Native to the Americas and nearby island nations, this bird prefers wetland and marine ecosystems. The global population of this bird is estimated at 2,000,000 individuals and does not show signs of decline that would necessitate inclusion on the IUCN Red List.
Northern fulmar The two fulmars are closely related seabirds occupying the same niche in different oceans. The northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) or just fulmar lives in the North Atlantic and North Pacific, whereas the southern fulmar, (Fulmarus glacialoides) is, as its name implies, a bird of the Southern Ocean.
Northern Gannet: Very large seabird. White overall with black primaries and long pointed wings. Light buff-yellow wash on crown of head extending down nape may be visible. Bill, legs, and feet are gray. Dives for fish and squid. Alternates rapid wing beats with short glides. Soars to great heights.
The razorbill (Alca torda) is a colonial seabird that comes to land only to breed. This agile bird chooses one partner for life; females lay one egg per year. Razorbills nest along coastal cliffs in enclosed or slightly exposed crevices. The parents spend equal amounts of time incubating.
Juvenile red-footed booby poking his head out of his nest on Half Moon Caye, Belize The red-footed booby (Sula sula) is a large seabird of the booby family, Sulidae. As suggested by the name, adults always have red feet, but the colour of the plumage varies.
At first glance, the royal penguin might be mistaken for the macaroni penguin, a species that has similar yellow crested feathers on the head. Some scientists maintain that the royal penguin is a closely related sub-species of the macaroni penguin.
The Short-tailed Albatross is a majestic bird, whose mastery of its ocean world inspires awe and admiration. Short-tailed Albatrosses can still be seen on rare occasion in Alaskan waters, gliding on stiff, lance-like wings where the wind meets the water.
The southern rockhopper penguin is one of two or three rockhopper penguin species that are named for their behavior on land. While most penguins are awkward outside of the water, the rockhopper penguins are able to hop around with a bit more grace.
The southern royal albatross (Diomedea epomophora) is a large seabird from the albatross family. At an average wingspan of above 3 m (9.8 ft), it is one of the two largest species of albatross, together with the wandering albatross.
The tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata), also known as crested puffin, is a relatively abundant medium-sized pelagic seabird in the auk family (Alcidae) found throughout the North Pacific Ocean. It is one of three species of puffin that make up the genus Fratercula and is easily recognizable by its thick red bill and yellow tufts.
The wandering albatross, snowy albatross, white-winged albatross or goonie (Diomedea exulans) is a large seabird from the family Diomedeidae, which has a circumpolar range in the Southern Ocean. It was the first species of albatross to be described, and was long considered the same species as the Tristan albatross and the Antipodean albatross.
The Yellow-eyed Penguin is only found in New Zealand and is one of the rarest of the penguins. They live & breed around the south and east coasts of the South Island, on Stewart island and in the sub-antarctic Auckland & Campbell islands. They are known to New Zealand’s native Māori, as “Hoiho” meaning “the noisy penguin”.
The yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis), sometimes referred to as western yellow-legged gull (to distinguish it from eastern populations of yellow-legged large white-headed gulls), is a large gull of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, which has only recently achieved wide recognition as a distinct species.