key features
Many seabirds have salt glands located near their eyes which help lose salt from the body, without losing too much water - water loss must be kept to a minimum when there is no freshwater available for them.

Many diving birds, such as the puffin, use their wings rather than their feet to propel themselves through water. The penguin has evolved so far that it has abandoned flight. with wings becoming flipper-like to make them more efficient swimmers.

Many other seabirds, such as the albatross, spend most of their lives in the air, returning to land only to breed.

marine litter
Marine debris is a widespread problem that can have fatal consequences to seabirds. An estimated one million birds die every year from entanglement and ingestion of plastics. Fishing nets and lines, plastic strapping and plastic can carriers are the most common cause of entanglement. Plastic pieces and pellets are often mistaken for fish eggs and swallowed. resulting in internal injuries.

oil
Thousands of oiled birds are recorded every year around Britain's shores. Major oil spills, such as that caused by the Sea Empress off the coast of South Wales in 1996, can devastate important breeding populations - an estimated 20.000 sea birds died

overfishing
Over-fishing depletes fish stocks which can have a significant adverse effect on marine wildlife - some colonies have had disastrous breeding rates in recent years, due to the lack of food fish being available. Climate conditions may play a significant part, but overfishing, too, is likely to have had an impact.