Marine Birds
Seabirds do not comprise a taxonomic or evolutionary group of birds; they are simply defined as birds that spend most of their life feeding and living on the open ocean, coming to land only to breed. Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary has productive, food-rich waters that make it a major foraging area for thousands of seabirds such as albatross, terns, boobies, shearwaters, petrels, tropicbirds, and other offshore species. Nearby islands and small atolls also create important nesting habitat for the many migratory and resident bird species.