The ocean is home to some of the most remarkable avian species on the planet who, over millennia, have learned how to survive its vast expanses and challenging conditions. Pelagic seabirds are uniquely adapted to thrive in a marine environment, living much of their lives far from the shore. Their incredible flying skills, specialized feeding techniques, and physiological traits have enabled them to survive where few can.
Birdwatching has endless rewarding qualities, yet the challenges are equally numerous—and for many, this is all part of the attraction! Straining your neck to spot a warbler above you, squinting into blinding sunlight or peering into murky gloom, trying to spot a reed-colored bird in reeds, a mud-colored bird on mud, or any bird in any trees. But what about those who roam far from land that so many of us will never see? These birds are known as pelagics, from the scientific term ‘the pelagic zone’, a water column of the ocean that can be further divided into regions by depth; the Ancient Greek word pélagos means open sea. It simply refers to anything that relates to, occurs, or lives in the vast open seas of the planet.
Pelagic birding tours have become increasingly popular in line with the exponential rise in interest across the world in birds, as more of us turn our minds and hearts to nature and the species who live there. The draw of seeing birds that we, as a naturally land-bound species, would ordinarily never see is one worth pursuing. The open waters do have their own challenges, of course, but persevere and you will be rewarded. Let’s take a look at some of the wonderful birds you could expect to see on a pelagic trip.
Northern Fulmar: A Master of the Winds
The northern fulmar is a true seabird, rarely seen on land except during breeding season. Fulmars are known for their stiff-winged flight, gliding effortlessly above the waves for long distances without flapping their wings. They have tube-shaped nostrils, which are a common feature among many pelagic seabirds. These “tubenoses” allow them to expel excess salt from their bodies, a necessary adaptation since fulmars drink seawater. Their diet consists primarily of fish, squid, and crustaceans, though they are also known to scavenge and feed on carrion. Northern fulmars also possess a somewhat off-putting behavior that sets them apart from most birds: they can eject a foul-smelling oil from their stomachs to deter predators. This oil is not only a weapon but also an energy-rich food source that helps them survive long stretches without feeding and is also where they their name originates – in Old Norse, ful means foul and mar means gull.
Shearwaters: Long-Distance Migrators
Shearwaters are impressive migratory birds, spending the non-breeding season at sea. Among the most famous species is the sooty shearwater which undertakes one of the longest migrations, around 40,000 miles a year in a figure 8 journey across the Northern Hemisphere. These tubenoses employ a special “shearing” flight technique which involves flying very close to the water and seemingly cutting or “shearing” the tips of waves, as seen in Owen’s photograph. By utilizing the kinetic energy from the changes in the wind flow in the peaks and troughs of the wave, shearing the water helps them glide, using the bare minimum of active flight. They also possess an excellent sense of smell, and recent studies have pointed to the possible existence of smell-mapping, using their memory of specific aromas for navigation.
Razorbill: Coastal Cliff Dwellers
Razorbills are also known as razor-billed auks or lesser auks across the Northern hemisphere, and they are the closest living relative to the great auk, hunted into extinction with the final breeding pair killed in 1844 while protecting their egg, which was bought by a private collector. These modern-day cousins endure their fair share of calamity from oil spills and destruction of nest sites, and their current global population is estimated at 1.5 million individuals, but increasingly stable—for now. Easily recognizable by their black-and-white plumage and distinctively thick, flattened beak with clean white stripes, razorbills stay relatively close to coastlines across the North Atlantic during breeding season. Their nest sites are not immediately alongside the sea on open cliff ledges but at least 10 cm (4 in) away, ticked in crevices on cliffs or among boulders to evade predators such as great black-backed gulls, peregrine falcons, ravens, crows, and even jackdaws.
South Polar Skua: The Seabird Pirate
The South Polar Skua is a large, barrel-chested seabird are distinguishable from many other pelagic birds in flight due to their prominent white underwing flashes, distinctive even at a distance, but watch closely and a certain behavior also gives them away. The skua family species have a reputation for piracy—agile and aggressive, they steal food from other seabirds, particularly gulls and terns; this behavior is known as kleptoparasitism. The skua will harass its victim, even to the point of catching them in their bills and shaking them violently, until it drops its catch, which the skua then retrieves mid-air.
