Seabirds

Cascading declines, but recovery efforts show great promise

American seabird populations are in steep decline. Studies in Hawaii and Alaska show seabird populations down between 55% and 95% in recent decades. Analyses of eBird Trends show steep declines for nearly all North American seabird species throughout their ranges between 2012 and 2022.

There are still many unknowns about the dynamics of seabird declines. Consistent, long-term monitoring of seabird numbers, as well as the number and distribution of active colonies, is needed to better document declines, asses the long-term population health, and design conservation solutions.

eBird Trends for Colonial Nesting Seabirds

Map showing trends for seabird colonies on the west coast. Nearly all the area show declines (red); with just a few areas of increasing trends (blue).
Seabird colonies are declining all along the West Coast
A subset of eBird Trends data for eight colonial nesting seabird species shows the pervasive nature of seabird declines. These eight species were chosen for their potential as indicators of trends for other seabird species that lack reliable monitoring data. Western Gull by Brad Imhoff / Macaulay Library.

  • Marine Habitat Disruptions Drive Declines

    Rising seas are flooding seabird colonies in low-lying islands, and marine heat waves are disrupting seabird food sources. A heat wave in Alaskan waters from 2014 to 2016 starved 4 million Common Murres—the largest documented wildlife mortality event in the modern era.

  • Other Factors Are Compunding Losses

    Predation of seabirds and their eggs by invasive non-native species, bycatch in fisheries, contaminants such as plastics pollution, habitat loss, and infectious diseases are all additional drivers of declines among seabirds.

  • Sustaining Seabirds Amid Warming Waters Is Possible

    Protected nesting colonies and marine foraging areas can provide refuges for seabirds during extreme storm events. Policies that reduce fishing bycatch and plastics pollution can help mitigate direct human-caused stressors.

Translocations Are Securing Seabird Populations for the Future

A translocation effort for seabirds (including Black-footed Albatross) on Hawaii’s James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge is establishing a new breeding colony on higher ground and includes a predator-exclusion fence (seen in background). Black-footed Albatross image by Eric VanderWerf.

One promising strategy for protecting seabird populations from sea-level rise and storm-surge events has been translocation—moving seabird breeding colonies to higher ground. 

A project in Hawaii—conducted by the nonprofit group Pacific Rim Conservation, in collaboration with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—moved seabirds from low-lying areas in the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Tern Island, and French Frigate Shoals to high-island habitat at the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu. The translocation area on the refuge included a mammal predator exclusion fence, so the newly moved seabirds don’t fall victim to non-native predators such as rats and mongoose. Today there are four translocated species nesting on the refuge—Laysan and Black-footed Albatross, as well as Bonin Petrel and Tristram’s Storm-Petrel. 

Map of North America showing locations of seabird restoration projects.
About 40% of seabird colony restoration projects have been conducted in U.S. island and coastal areas, and these projects have a high success rate. Overall more than three-quarters of seabird species show a positive response to translocation and social attraction projects. Source: Seabird Restoration Database.

Another seabird translocation project is offering a refuge from rising seas for Black-footed Albatross populations in the eastern Pacific Ocean. A partnership between government agencies and nonprofit groups of the United States and Mexico is moving albatross eggs and chicks from the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge to Guadalupe Island off the coast of Mexico. The project began in 2021, and by 2024 the first chicks that fledged from Guadalupe returned to the island as 2- and 3-year-olds— marking early success in the effort to establish an albatross colony on higher breeding grounds. 

According to the Seabird Restoration Database, there have been 851 seabird translocation and social attraction projects worldwide, with a very high success rate: 76% of seabird species showed a positive response to these efforts. About 40% of these projects were conducted in U.S. islands and coastal areas, more than any other country. Given the steep threats facing seabirds, more translocation efforts are needed, and the high success rate shows that these efforts are a sound investment in securing seabird populations for the future. 

List of Colonial-Nesting Seabird Species

These 8 seabird species were used in the eBird Trends analysis of colonial-nesting seabirds (above).

Arctic Tern
Brandt’s Cormorant
Caspian Tern
Glaucous-winged Gull
Marbled Murrelet
Pelagic Cormorant
Pigeon Guillemot
Western Gull