Atlantic puffins
These birds make their home in the waters of the North Atlantic from Canada in the west to Norway in the east and even as far south as Spain.
Atlantic puffins are also called Common puffins and are part of the Auk family. They live along rocky coastlines and on islands. They enjoy dining on herring, sandeel, and capelin. If necessary, puffins will dive to depths of 60 meters to get a meal.
Unfortunately these seabirds are threatened by climate change. On the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species they are listed as “Vulnerable”.
Brown Boobies
These birds can be found in pan-tropical waters like the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Ocean and even the Caribbean Sea.
Brown boobies are related to gannets. They like to rest in large rafts on the surface of the water. The birds prefer inshore waters where they can dine on flying fish and squid as well as halfbeak, mullet, and anchovy. Brown boobies are clever enough to snatch prey from the surface of water.
On the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species these birds are listed as “Least Concern”.
California Brown Pelicans
These birds prefer the tropical to cold temperate waters of the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coast of the US and South America.
Brown pelican like shallow coastal waters and will avoid the open seas. They are very social and breed in colonies and feed in groups. They enjoy sardines, anchovies, and mackerel. At times they will eat shrimp, carrion, and young egrets. Once they hit the water they open their bills and pouches to catch fish.
Cape Gannets
These seabirds are endemic to Southern Africa and breed on six island colonies in Nambia and South Africa.
Cape gannets are non-migratory seabirds. They stay within 500 km of their breeding colonies all year-round. Juvenile gannets will travel up to 4,000 km towards the equator before returning to breed at about four years of age. The birds nest on offshore islands but can also make use of cliffs and man-made structures. They dine on anchovies and sardines as well as discarded fish offal.
On the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species these birds are listed as “Endangered”.
Common Murres
These seabirds are circumpolar inhabiting both the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans.
Common murres are members of the Auk family and very skilled divers. Their diets consist of small fish like shannies, capelin, sandeels, and clupeids. They forage close to their breeding colonies but will also travel long distances exceeding 100 km for food.
Laysan Albatrosses
These seabirds are found in the North Pacific Ocean.
Laysan albatrosses are known for their elaborate courtship displays and form lifelong pair bonding. Their main breeding ground are in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Here the Midway Atoll hosts the largest colony with more than 660,000 pairs. They dine mostly on squid but will alos eat fish, crustaceans, and other marine creatures. These birds will cover long distances looking for food for their chicks but are threatened by long-line fishing and get entangled and drown.
Magnificent Frigatebirds
These birds are located in the tropical and sub-tropical water of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
Magnificent frigatebirds spend a great deal of time soaring through the skies. They’re known for their elaborate courtship displays when males inflate their bright red throat pouches to attract females. The birds like to nest in elevated location such as mangroves, bushes, and cacti but if necessary will nest on the ground. Frigatebirds feed on flying fish and squid and other creatures like jellyfish, baby turtles, and other seabird eggs, and chicks.
Northern Fulmars
These birds make their homes in the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans from temperate zones like Japan and the UK to the frigid waters of the Arctic.
Northern fulmars spend a great deal of their time out at sea and can be seen soaring above the waves. They nest on cliffs and rocky outcrops. Their diets consist of fish, squid, zooplankton, and carrion. They’ll capture their prey near the surface of the water but are also good divers.
On the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species they are listed as “Least Concern”.
Red-tailed tropicbirds
These seabirds like the tropical and sub-tropical waters of the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean.
Tropicbirds don’t come near land. They get their meals catching flying fish, squid, and other marine creatures. They’ll plunge into the water to get food. They are known to breed on remote islands and nest on cliffs and simple ground scrapes.
Southern Giant Petrels
These birds inhabit places south of the Antarctic Convergence Zone from Antarctica to sub-tropical regions.
These are powerful seabirds living in the Southern Ocean. They’re known for their aggressive scavenging behavior and predatory skills. Southern giant petrels dine on fish, squid, krill, and carrion. They’ll follow ships to scavenge discarded food. These seabirds are also called “Stinkers” and Stinkpots” and are known for projectile vomiting emitting a foul-smelling stomach oil.
On the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species they are listed as “Least Concern”.
About the Creator
Rasma Raisters
My passions are writing and creating poetry. I write for several sites online and have four themed blogs on Wordpress. Please follow me on Twitter.
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