They are all superb fliers, able to fly enormous distances. They are also brilliant navigators. One Manx shearwater from Wales was released in the USA, 5000km away. It took just 12 days to find its way home. Gannets, cormorants and diving petrels are the champion divers, plunging straight down into the sea to catch fish.
Gulls are the best known of all seabirds, though many spend much of their lives inland.
Most are scavengers. Water birds Millions of birds live near fresh water or by estuaries, feeding on the wealth of animal and plant life there. Many, like curlews and redshanks, have long legs for wading in shallow water. Some, like oystercatchers, have long, thin beaks for probing into mud and sand for food. Waterfowl, such as ducks, geese and swans, have webbed feet and long, agile necks for reaching down into the water.