The Seabird Osteology Pages
Formerly known as The Seabirds Skull Gallery this website exists
since 2002. Not only skulls are
shown anymore. Regular visitors have already noticed that since December 2004 the scope has widened. It now includes also other parts of the seabird
skeleton. In the Seabird
Osteology section general aspects of seabird osteology are treated and in the
species section you willl find
a listing of families and groups with links to pages on skeletons of particular
species or groups. There is always work in progress, which means that there will
be changes, additions and improvements from time to time. Presently I'm working
slowly my way through the changing of the tubenose pages. There are still some
old style pages, which may give an odd impression from time to time. On the
update information page you can see what
the latest changes are..
Seabirds
Mysteriously rare or overwhelmingly abundant, but always beautiful.
Petrels, albatrosses, cormorants,
frigatebirds, gulls etc. are mysterious and inspiring birds: often the subject
of poetic stories and lots of myths around the world. Albatrosses as the
incarnated souls of drowned seamen following ships on motionless wings were a
bad omen to many living sailors. The horrifying screams of petrels and
shearwaters coming to their burrows after sunset have given rise to all kinds of
superstitions.
The coastal species are often well known,
but many stay out of sight and are seldom seen by most people. In many cases
only known when found dead on the beach. And then there is often not much left
of them because of their scavenging fellows. Luckily the skull or at least a
part of it is often still present.
Seabird skeletons
In general bird skulls are the easiest parts
of a skeleton to identify the species for the average birder. The shape and size
of the skull, its structure and the coloration of the bills are often very
helpful for the identification of the - not seldom partly decayed - carcasses
that can be found on the world's coasts. The Seabirds Skull Gallery was
the first website that focused on the recognition of seabird skulls, and now
also other skeleton parts are included.
The skulls and skeleton parts shown on this website are from
my own and several other private and museum collections. However, many species are not shown yet
because it is difficult to compile a complete collection of good material. Even
museums often have not many skulls in their collections and, if they have, many
are damaged, incomplete or otherwise in poor condition.
Almost all distinct groups or genera of have their own page, a few are still in
preparation and existing pages will be updated from time to time when new
material and information has become available. Several people and institutes have contributed to
The Seabird Ostelogy Pages by offering skulls on loan or in
exchange.
Seabirds in danger
There are many threats to seabirds: pollution in the broadest sense, but also modern fishing techniques such as long-line fishing, large scale fishing activities on seabird food resources, destruction of habitat and the introduction of pests at breeding grounds.
Just a few examples of serious risks for individual seabirds or even entire populations. Seabirds deserve our greatest care and their protection should be a top priority to any government or organization with activities that affect seabirds.
Sources of information
The taxonomic and descriptive information on
this website comes from various sources: the well known handbooks, monographs,
identification guides, articles, John Warham's comprehensive two volume work on
the Petrels and my own findings. The general literature is not mentioned, but
specific literature is listed on the respective pages.
I want to emphasize that to the best of my
knowledge nearly none of the skulls shown is collected by killing birds for the
purpose. The majority is from beachcast birds that were found dead. Sorry to
say, but many did not die from natural causes. Killed by oil pollution, starved
after eating garbage, entangled and drowned in fishing gear, crashed after power
line collisions or some other man made cause. Among some of the museum specimens
that have been pictured here are a few that might have been killed for
scientific purposes.
Material wanted
Material to complete this site is always welcome. Especially missing species, but also material of commoner species is of use. Ringed birds are very useful to establish ageing characteristics. At this moment I'm working on this concerning razorbill and guillemot skulls. Any skull of a ringed bird of this group, no matter its condition is most welcome.
To get in touch with me
click
here
Update information
Links
On the last page of this website you will find some links to other interesting sites on seabirds.
©Copyright 2002-2008 Edward Soldaat
Text and photos in this website are copyrighted. Use of the content of this website is only allowed after been
given permission and with reference to this website.
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