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 Christmas shearwater The Christmas shearwater ("Puffinus nativitatis") is a medium-sized shearwater of the tropical Central Pacific. It is a poorly known species due to its remote nesting habits, and it has not been extensively studied at sea either. It is one member of a very ancient lineage of the small "Puffinus" species. Its only close living relative is the Galápagos shearwater ("P. subalaris"). The species was described and given its current binomial name by the American naturalist Thomas Hale Streets in 1877. A genetic analysis using mitochondrial DNA has shown that the closest living relative is the Galápagos shearwater ("Puffinus