Europe has some of the world’s most characteristic seabird species. From the Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) to the Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) there is almost an endless variety of seabirds that you can see.
Many seabirds nest in cliffs or on rocky islands and winter ashore whilst others such as Auklets, Little Terns and Puffins prefer nesting in burrows or grassy outcrops.
Almost all seabirds feed on fish and crustaceans but some such as Skuas and Jaegers have a reputation for attacking other seabird species.
Unfortunately, many seabird species are under threat from plastic pollution and global warming. This causes the fish they eat to move to warmer waters, which increases the distance they need to travel to find food, which in turn increases the danger of an event such as a storm leaving the seabirds injured or stranded, unable to get back to their family or colony.
Luckily, many amazing conservation organisations are doing incredible projects to rescue and revive injured seabirds or gather more data about them. One amazing project is the ‘Puffarazzi’, a project by the RSPB, which encourages people to take pictures of Puffins returning to their burrows to gather more data about where the Puffins are nesting so they can conserve their nesting grounds.
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog about Europe’s incredible seabirds.
