OUR
SEABIRDS
An ocean of richness
Over 80 seabird species have been recorded in the Azores, ranging from the tiny endemic Monteiro’s Storm-petrel to Great Skuas and Northern Gannets that patrol the surrounding seas during winter. Of these, 10 species are considered regular breeders in the archipelago, including six Procellariiformes—well represented by the Cory’s Shearwater, the most abundant species—and four Charadriiformes, such as the well-known Common Tern. All breeding species, except for the Band-rumped Storm-petrel, nest exclusively during the warm season on rocky coasts and islets. Other iconic breeding species include the Barolo Shearwater, a Macaronesian endemic, the Manx Shearwater, Bulwer’s Petrel, and the Roseate Tern.
During summer, as sea temperatures rise, the occurrence of tropical vagrants such as the Brown Booby and the Red-billed Tropicbird is also possible. The Azores furthermore serve as an important feeding stopover for many seabird species during migration, including large aggregations of Leach’s Storm-petrels, Sooty and Great Shearwaters, and smaller skua species such as Pomarine, Arctic, and Long-tailed. Increasingly rare gadfly petrels may also visit Azorean waters after the breeding season, especially during periods of enhanced local productivity. In winter, gulls become particularly abundant, with large offshore numbers of Black-legged Kittiwakes, while Yellow-legged Gulls—the only breeding gull species—are more commonly observed closer to shore, often accompanied by Black-headed gulls.
Durante o verão, com o aumento da temperatura das águas, é também possível observar espécies tropicais, como o alcatraz-pardo e o rabo-de-palha-de-bico-vermelho. Os Açores servem ainda como uma importante área de alimentação para muitas espécies durante a migração, incluindo grandes concentrações de painhos-de-cauda-forcada, pardelas-pretas, cagarros-de-coleira, bem como espécies de moleiro de menor tamanho, como o moleiro-pequeno, o moleiro-do-Ártico e o moleiro-rabilongo. Após a época de reprodução, espécies raras como as freiras do género Pterodroma — verdadeiras jóias escondidas do Atlântico — podem também visitar as águas dos Açores, sobretudo durante períodos de maior produtividade. No inverno, as gaivotas tornam-se particularmente abundantes, com uma forte presença longe da costa da gaivota-tridáctila, enquanto a gaivota-de-cabeça-preta é mais frequentemente observada junto à costa em companhia da gaivota-de-patas-amarelas, a única gaivota residente.
Why are seabirds important?
As top predators, seabirds play a crucial role in marine ecosystems, maintaining the balance of both pelagic and coastal communities. By crossing ecosystemic boundaries, seabirds redistribute organic matter and nutrients from feeding areas at sea to nesting colonies on land. Furthermore, seabirds are considered ocean sentinels, as their occurrence and population trends can reflect shifts in prey availability or even large-scale climatic and oceanographic oscillations. For instance, the detection of rare seabird species far from their natural range can be linked to anomalies in ocean currents and wind patterns, or even changes in sea temperatures.
Despite their ecological importance, seabirds are among the most endangered groups of birds worldwide. Pressures such as fisheries interactions, habitat degradation, pollution, and invasive species at nesting sites continue to drive population declines across ocean basins.