ABSTRACT
Seabirds are a polyphyletic group of birds adapted to make extensive use of the marine environment for at least part of their annual cycle. The taxa typically included are penguins, tubenoses, pelicans, gannets, cormorants, frigatebirds, auks, larids, terns and skuas. Seabirds are strongly intertwined with human culture, but are also one of the most threatened groups of birds as a result of anthropogenic pressures. This introductory chapter describes the physical adaptations, spatial distribution, behaviour and ecology of seabirds. It also looks into the main threats they are currently facing. Traditional methods used in the study of seabirds, from which much of our current understanding of their ecology stems, are outlined throughout.
