I'm on a seabird roll! But when I say 'seabird', what do I mean? Seagulls, right? Well, gulls are seabirds, but seabirds are any species that get their food from the ocean. I'm talking tiny wee things like this New Zealand storm petrel, to big bois like Southern Royal Albatross, to flightless penwings. Shags, terns, and yes, gulls, make the cut too. Many of these birds spend most of their lives well away from land, getting all they need from the sea. So us land-lubbing humans don't see them that often, because they only return to land to breed - and often to isolated islands, preferably ones free from introduced predators that can decimate colonies. ⠀ ⠀ In the Hauraki Gulf, we are lucky to have so many seabirds within a stone's throw from Aotearoa's biggest city. Take a ferry to Waiheke or Tiri, and you'll likely see Fluttering shearwaters, one of our common resident seabirds. It's a globally important site for seabirds, with 5 region-endemic species that breed nowhere else on earth - like this New Zealand storm petrel. It's a great place to be a seabird scientist! ⠀ ⠀ #birdventurenz #seabird #seabirdscience #petrelhead #aotearoa #nzgeo #yearofthebird #birdstagram #your_best_birds #birds_adored #bird_brilliance #womeninstem #fieldwork #fieldbiology #birding #wildlife_magic #tinydancer #birdsofinstagram #wildearth #feathered_finds #ig_captures #nature_perfection #wanderwonder #wildernessculture #adventure #wildnz #nzbirds #travelnz #haurakigulf #seachange @nzgeo @dphoto_magazine @forestandbird https://www.instagram.com/p/BoFGsaph2JR/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1oc2jqu897z64
