The Barents Sea supports at least 20 million seabirds, divided between 40 species and 1600 colonies, in summer. Numbers are lower in winter when most species move southwards.
The commonest species are Brünnich’s guillemot Uria lomvia and the black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla. Numbers of little auk Alle alle may be of the same order, but colonies are very difficult to count. In Norway (and Svalbard) numbers of Brünnich’s guillemots and black-legged kittiwakes have approximately halved in the past 25 years, with the same trend being seen in several other species.
Threatened and declining seabird species according to OSPAR:
Larus fuscus fuscus Lesser black-backed gull
Pagophila eburnea Ivory gull
Polysticta stelleri Steller's eider
Rissa tridactyla Black-legged kittiwake
Uria lomvia Thick-billed murre (or Brünnich’s guillemot)
