PRESENT STATUS AND TRENDS OF SEABIRDS IN NORWAY 



297 



Table 8. Status of the razorbill ( Alca torda) in Norway (cf. Fig. 4). 



Norway breed on R0st (well north of the Arc- 

 tic Circle), where they have adapted to a de- 

 layed breeding season with egg laying in 

 August because of the conflict of their noc- 

 turnal habits with the continuous daylight 

 due to the midnight sun. Of the present popu- 

 lation trends that are given for each species in 

 Table 1, all auks except the black guillemot 

 (Cepphus grylle) are decreasing, whereas the 

 gulls, the gannets, and the fulmars are in- 

 creasing. 



Since the coastline of Norway is about the 

 same length as the coastline of Great Britain 

 and Ireland, it is interesting to compare the 

 population figures (Table 12), although the 

 accuracy is very different. Populations of 

 auks and gulls are similar in both areas, but 

 the species composition is different. There are 

 more terns in the British Isles, but skuas 

 (Catharacta skua), shags (Phalacrocorax aris- 



totelis), and great cormorants (P. carbo) are 

 present in similar numbers. The most striking 

 difference is the very small number of procelli- 

 forms and gannets in Norway compared to 

 Britain and Ireland, where they are almost as 

 numerous as the gulls and the auks. 



Table 9. Status of the fulmar (Fulmarus 

 glacialis) in Norway. 



