Seabirds are adapted to life at sea, catching fish for food.  Many have waterproof feathers and webbed feet and feed by diving for their prey. Some sea birds (like Sooty tern and Frigate birds) are long-distance fliers, spending most of their life at sea, many miles from land, while others (like Fairy Terns) feed closer to shore. However, all seabirds have to return to land to nest and raise their young.  The best places for them to breed are small islands with no introduced predators like cats or rats.

Wedge-tailed shearwater


Wedge-tailed Shearwater in flight (Philip Griffin)

Shearwaters are fast flying seabirds that flies close above the water surface far out at sea, feeding on small fish and invertebrates.

Tropical Shearwater

This is a much smaller shearwater than the Wedge tailed, and has a white throat and belly.  The two species often nest on the same islands; like the Wedge tails Shearwater.

White-tailed tropicbird

A beautiful long-tailed white seabird.  The White-tailed Tropicbird breeds on almost every island, including the large islands like Mahe and Silhouette, where it nests in trees and bird’s nest ferns on high altitude forests.

Red-tailed Tropicbird

The Red Tailed Tropicbird is similar to the more common White-tailed Tropicbird but is bigger, with a pure white body, red bill and a very thin red tail, which is not always visible in flight.

Our History

Since 1998.

Seychelles Nature, Green HealthClimate Change, Biodiversity Conservation & Sustainability Organisation

@CousinIsland Manager


Roche Caiman, Mahe

Contact Us

Centre for Environment & Education

Roche Caiman,

P.O. Box 1310, Mahe, Seychelles

Tel:+ 248 4601100

Fax: + 248 4601102