© Beth Clark
Seabird Species
Auks & Phalaropes
Breeding from cliffs to coasts, these smaller seabirds still migrate far and wide.
Auks are made up of 23 species (including puffins, murres and guillemots), which are restricted in range to the cooler northern waters. Auks range in size from the 15 cm least auklet to the 45 cm thick-billed murre – but all auks have relatively short wings, meaning they must flap their wings quickly to maintain lift.
Similar to penguins, auks use their wings and strong feet to dive to catch their prey.
Now extinct due to hunting, the Great Auk was unable to fly, much like a penguin of the North.
There are three species of phalarope, however only the red and red-necked phalaropes are true seabirds. Despite being shorebirds, they spend their non-breeding season feeding out at sea. Phalaropes breed in the cool waters around wither the Arctic Circle or North America, and overwinter in the tropical oceans or South America. Phalaropes are small birds with characteristic straight and slender beaks. They have a unique foraging strategy, swimming in circles to produce a whirlpool that brings their food to the surface.
In The Seabird Tracking Database:
Spotlight species: Atlantic Puffin
© Beth Clark
The Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) is found throughout the North Atlantic Ocean. The species has been extensively tracked, with over 80,000 location points having been noted by researchers. BirdLife International used this tracking data, alongside many more seabird species, to propose the protection of an area of high seabird biodiversity within the North-East Atlantic. Since the Atlantic Puffin is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, protecting an important wintering area could be essential for their conservation.
Please view this page on a desktop computer to see our interactive species colony map.
Tracked colonies of Auks & Phalaropes
Use the map below to explore seabird colonies around the world.
