Why don't seabirds fight over the best spots on cliffs?

They're not really competing for the same spots because each species needs something different. Guillemots want bare, narrow ledges where they can pack in tightly, razorbills prefer sheltered crevices, kittiwakes build nests on vertical faces too small for auks, and puffins mostly use burrows instead of cliff faces at all.

Why are guillemot eggs that weird pointy shape?

Honestly, we're not entirely sure. The old explanation that the pointed shape stops them rolling off ledges has almost no evidence backing it up, so current thinking points more toward impact resistance or dealing with debris landing on them, though the jury's still out.

Do seabirds always nest in the same vertical pattern on cliffs?

No, that's a myth from older guides. The actual distribution depends entirely on each cliff's individual structure—what ledges exist, where the crevices are, whether there's soil for burrows. The arrangement varies dramatically from site to site.

Walking the Edge

How Guillemots, Razorbills, Puffins and Kittiwakes Share a Breeding Cliff

Seabirds return to coastal cliffs each spring to breed, often using the same rock face in different ways. Guillemots and razorbills favour ledges; kittiwakes build nests there too; puffins use grassy edges, crevices or burrows they dig themselves. There's no fixed vertical zoning plan that applies to every colony—nesting positions vary with the site and what's available.

24 September 202610 min read