Marine Birds

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Marine Birds
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History

• Probably evolved from dinosaurs about 160 million
  years ago.
• Their reptilian heritage is clearly visible in
  their scaly legs and claws and the configuration
  of their internal organs and skeleton.

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Characteristics

• Endotherms
• Feathers
• Hollow Bones
• Highly Efficient Respiratory System
• Lay Eggs On Land
• Incubate And Care For Young

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Adaptations For Marine Life

• Like marine reptiles, seabirds have special
  salt-excreting glands in their heads to eliminate
  the excess salt taken in with their food.
• Voracious feeders
• True seabirds avoid land unless breeding
• Live, feed and breed near the sea depend on
  sea for food
• Breed in colonies (95 of seabirds) 10s to
  1000s

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Seabirds

• Only 4 of the worlds 9000 bird species are
  seabirds
• 372 species
• Of the 29 orders of birds
• 7 contain seabirds

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Groups

• Spenisciformes (penguins)
• Gaviiformes (divers, loons grebes)
• Procellariiformes Tubenoses (albatrosses,
  petrels
  shearwaters)
• Pelecaniformes (pelicans, gannets, boobies,
  cormorants, frigatebirds tropicbirds)
• Anseriformes (ducks geese)
• Charadriiformes (gulls, terns and auks)

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Penguins

• 17 species all found south of the equator
• Most are found around Antarctica
  (or New
  Zealand/Australia/Southern America)
• But the Galapagos penguin lives near the equator
• Adaptations to the marine environment include
• Solid (not hollow) bones so they can dive
• Very hydrodynamic shape swim up to 15 mph
• Wing bones are fused a solid flipper (instead
  of a wing)
• Wings fly underwater like sealions
• Thick fat layer, plus feathers to insulate
• Their feathers are like pins not branched
  denser packed
• Plus behavioral adaptations (e.g. huddling)

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Loons

• Loons are called divers in the UK
• The northern hemispheres answer to penguins
• Adaptations to the marine environment include
• Like penguins have solid (not hollow) bones
• Simply by exhaling and emptying their air sacs
  they can become heavy enough to sink
• Feet are near the backs of their bodies
  greater thrust when
  diving
• Have lobed feet (not webbed)
  increased surface
  area
• Can dive to depths of 100s of feet for several
  minutes
• BUT unlike penguins they can fly (although
  heavy)

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Albatrosses

• Unlike penguins loons albatrosses do not spend
  much time in the water
• Instead they fly over the ocean searching for
  prey
• Usually found in the southern hemisphere
• The albatrosses glide in the constant strong
  winds around Antarctica
• Adaptations to the marine environment include
• Long wingspan (3 - 4 m) but narrow wings
  perfect for long distance gliding
• They have a tube on top of their beaks allows
  them to detect changes wind currents
• A long hooked beak for catching fish on the wing

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Petrels

• Small sparrow-sized birds
• They skim over the surface of the sea looking for
  food
• Migrate to the equator during the winter
• Breed in burrows to avoid predators
• Adaptations to the marine environment include
• They have a tube on top of their beaks like
  albatrosses
• Also have a hooked beak like albatrosses
• Secrete excess salt through their nose tubes
• Dont glide but flap rapidly, very quickly and
  low over the tops of waves

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shearwaters

• Also skim over the surface of the sea looking for
  food
• Pelagic mostly hunting on the open ocean
• Have a beak and nose tube like the albatross
  petrel

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Pelecaniformes

• One of the largest groups of seabirds
• 67 species
• Adaptations to the marine environment include
• All have fully webbed feet TOTIPALMATE
• Most have an elastic pouch of skin hanging below
  their beak

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Pelecaniformes - pelicans

• Large birds (with a wingspan of up to 3m)
• Adaptations to the marine environment include
• Very thin hydrodynamic shape to dive into the
  water
• They open their mouths use their throat pouches
  to net their prey

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Pelecaniformes - Boobies

• Primarily tropical
• Adaptations to the marine environment include
• Dive from heights of nearly 100 onto prey
• Torpedo shaped - for piercing the waters
  surface

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Pelecaniformes - gannets

• Found in cool northern regions
  nest on rocky
  cliffs
• Adaptations to the marine environment include
• Like boobies, dive onto prey from height
• Can hit the water at 60mph
• Skull specially adapted to absorb the force of
  impact, and to protect their brains from damage

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Pelecaniformes - Cormorants

• Adaptations to the marine environment include
• Even more streamlined for diving from height
• Can dive to depths of 10 m or more
• Some species are flightless with large webbed,
  rear situated feet
• BUT their wings are not waterproof,
  so have to keep landing
  to allow their wings to dry

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Pelecaniformes - Frigate birds

• Much more agile in the air than the other
  pelecaniformes
• Opportunistic feeders mollusks, fish, turtles
  and even jellyfish
• Will also frequently steal food from other
  seabirds

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Ducks and Geese

• 4 species of duck (EIDER DUCKS) are marine
• 4 species of STEAMER ducks (3 are
  flightless)
• They have soft fluffy (well insulating) feathers
• The kelp goose is also marine and feeds on algae

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Charadriiformes

• Account for nearly half of the seabird species
  
• 131 species
• Including 50 species of gulls
• 44 species of terns
• 22 species of auk
• 8 species of skua (jaeger)

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Charadriiformes - Gulls

• Adaptations to the marine environment include
• Hooked beaks, webbed feet and long powerful wings
• Cant dive like a loon, or fly like an albatross
  or swim as well as a cormorant
  
  but are a jack of all trades
• Very opportunistic feeders and able to find a
  niche in almost any open ocean or coastal
  environment

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Charadriiformes - Terns

• Sometimes called sea swallows more graceful
  relative of gulls
• Hunt for food rather than scavenge like gulls
• Only have small webbed feet, so not good
  swimmers, swoop and catch prey on the wing

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Charadriiformes - Auks

• Clumsy in the air but extremely good divers
• Usually inhabit colder, northern hemisphere areas
• Adaptations to a marine environment
• Narrow, parrot like beaks, that can scoop up
  several small fish at a time
• Use their wings to fly underwater like penguins
• BUT more buoyant than penguins and have to work
  harder to stay underwater

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Others

• Although not officially SEABIRDS, other bird
  species use the marine environment
• Wading birds in coastal mudflats and estuaries
• Herons, Egrets Spoonbills freshwater, but
  also seen in salt marches and estuaries
• Flamingos live in salt marshes and estuaries
  (as well as salt lakes) filters brine shrimp
  out of the water
• Kingfishers
• Crows especially the fish crow.
  Eat fish and beach
  carrion
• Falconformes sea eagles and ospreys