National Geographic

0 mi 1,00 00 km 1,00 0HAMMER-AITOFF PROJECTIONSCALE AT THE EQUATOR``````On or near surfaceDiving from flightDeep pursuit``````0 ft3060``````How they feed Trawl fishing``````1 5–2,600 ft``````Yellow-billed loonGavia adamsii33 in``````White-tailed tropic birdPhaethon lepturusLength: 30 in``````Horned grebePodiceps auritus14 in``````Peruvian pelicanPelecanus thagus57 in``````Tropic birds Pelicans Grebes Loons, divers``````PHAETHONTIFORMES PELECANIFORMES PODICIPEDIFORMES GAVIIFORMES``````Number of species Under threat``````ORDERS``````10 5 10 15``````Range and number of seabirdspecies in danger of extinction``````Presence ofinvasive mammals1``````2-4``````5-7``````8 or more``````Threatened seabird species on islands``````3 3 41``````AFRICA``````EU``````RO``````PE``````ASIA``````IN``````DI``````AN``````OC``````EA``````N A T L A N T``````ICOCEAN``````Réunion``````Île Amsterdam``````Kerguelen Is.``````Christmas I.``````Mercury I. Crozet Is.``````Prince Edward Is.``````Gough I.``````TRRROP``````ICOF``````CAPRI``````CORNSEABIRDSThe global population of seabirds hasdropped by nearly 70 percent sincemonitoring began in the 1950s. Eachof the nine orders of these birds—fromtransoceanic voyagers such as alba-trosses to shore-hugging penguins—isfacing at least one of four key threats.``````CLIMATE CHANGESea-temperature rise forcesbirds to forage farther,abandoning nests; severeweather can be fatal.LEADINGTHREATSPOLLUTIONSpilled oil fouls feathers,making them less water-proof. Oil and plastics causea buildup of toxins.``````HABITAT DISTURBANCEInvasive species and humanactivity ravage nests.Light pollution can fatallydisorient fledglings.``````COMMERCIAL FISHINGFishing depletes seabirdfood sources; birds feed atdifferent depths and candrown when caught in netsor hooked on longlines.``````NO DEFENSESeabirds’ biggest threaton land: invasive predators.At sea, commercial fishingaccidentally kills at leastone bird every minute.IN CRISIS360speciesof seabirds(630 million birds)``````speciesunder threat(80 million birds)110