Skellig Islands consent. During the 2014 nesting season, black-legged kittiwake chicks in nests were swept into the sea by the downdraught from a helicopter and devoured by gulls. Both of the Skellig islands are known for their seabird colonies, and together comprise one of the most important seabird sites in Ireland, both for the population size and for the species diversity. Among the breeding birds are European storm petrel ("Hydrobates pelagicus"), northern gannet, northern fulmar ("Fulmarus glacialis"), Manx shearwater ("Puffinus puffinus"), black-legged kittiwake ("Rissa tridactyla"), common guillemot ("Uria aalge"), razorbill ("Alca torda") and Atlantic puffin ("Fratercula arctica") (with 4,000 or more puffins
Christmas shearwater subalaris"). The Christmas shearwater is a slender-bodied shearwater, about 36 cm long, with a wingspan of around 75 cm, and weighs around 350 g. It has dark plumage all over, generally blackish-grey with a rusty-brown tinge, slightly paler on the underside of the bird, and with some small edging of white under the chin and pale fringes to the upperwing coverts. It has brown-grey feet and a dark bill and eyes. Both sexes are alike, as are the young after fledging. Nestlings are covered in dark grey down feathers. The species closely resembles the sooty ("Puffinus griseus") and short-tailed shearwaters