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Where it nests on the tundra in the far north, the Arctic skua (Stercorarius parasiticus) is a terrestrial predator, but at lower latitudes, it is a specialised kleptoparasite, concentrating on auks and other seabirds. It harasses puffins while they are airborne, forcing them to drop their catch, which it then snatches up.
Loons and grebes, which nest on lakes but winter at sea, are usually categorized as water birds, not seabirds. Although there are a number of sea ducks in the family Anatidae that are truly marine in the winter, by convention they are usually excluded from the seabird grouping.
They nest in burrows and often give eerie contact calls on their night-time visits. They lay a single white egg. They lay a single white egg. The chicks of some species, notably short-tailed and sooty shearwaters, are subject to harvesting from their nest burrows for food, a practice known as muttonbirding , in Australia and New Zealand.
Adult near Burrow on Bruny Island. The photograph was taken at night. Fledgling, Austins Ferry, Tasmania, Australia. The short-tailed shearwater or slender-billed shearwater (Ardenna tenuirostris; formerly Puffinus tenuirostris), also called yolla or moonbird, and commonly known as the muttonbird in Australia, is the most abundant seabird species in Australian waters, and is one of the few ...
Family Oceanitidae (Austral storm petrels) are among the smallest seabirds, with fluttering flight and long but weak legs. Most have dark upperparts and a white underside. [21] Family Hydrobatidae (northern storm petrels) are similar to the austral storm petrels but have longer more pointed wings and most species have forked tails. [21]
The family Procellariidae is a group of seabirds that comprises the fulmarine petrels, the gadfly petrels, the diving petrels, the prions, and the shearwaters.This family is part of the bird order Procellariiformes (or tubenoses), which also includes the albatrosses and the storm petrels.
The shorter focal length of shearwater eyes give them a smaller, but brighter, image than is the case for pigeons. Although the Manx shearwater has adaptations for night vision, the effect is small, and these birds likely also use smell and hearing to locate their nests. [21]
Many types of seabirds are vulnerable to injury and death as a result of being attracted to artificial lights at night. This is a particular threat for petrels and shearwaters. [ 27 ] Burrow-nesting seabirds like the Westland petrel returning to their burrows at night, or leaving them before dawn, can become disoriented by artificial lights and ...