Here are 14 common types of seabirds to look for that’ll make coastal birding even more special.

Weight: 13 to 28 pounds Physical Characteristics: Large wingspan for flying long distances; 5- to 7-inch hooked bills for catching fish; tall birds, standing about 4 feet tall; colors vary greatly with black tails, white body feathers, dark upper wings, or all dark body colors Weight: 3 ounces to 2.2 pounds Physical Characteristics: Small to medium-sized marine diving birds; short, narrow wings; short tails; great variety of bill shapes and sizes Weight: 2 to 4 pounds Physical Characteristics: Long bills; cigar-shaped bodies; featuring long, narrow, angular wings for flying high and plunging headlong into the water in a swift, vertical drop Weight: 2 to 4 pounds Physical Characteristics: Mostly black in coloration, with small webbed feet; adult males inflate red gular pouches to attract mates; adult females have white markings on their undersides Weight: 1 to 2 pounds Physical Characteristics: Heavyset, medium-sized seabird with a short neck, stout body, large head, and long wings; bill is stout and hooked, with two nasal tubes on the top edge; color is primarily gray on the wings with white undersides, similar to large gulls; some are pale to dark gray all over

Weight: 5 to 7 pounds Physical Characteristics: Buff-tinged heads, sharp bill, pointed tail, and long slender wings with white plumage and black wingtips Weight: 1.7 to 2.8 pounds Physical Characteristics: Signature black-and-white appearance; thin dark, pointed bill; small rounded dark tail; white face with a dark spur behind the eye Weight: 2 to 88 pounds Physical Characteristics: Body is streamlined, elongated, and tapered at both ends for swimming; large head, short neck, and elongated body; tail is short, stiff, and wedge-shaped; legs and webbed feet are set far back on the body Weight: 6 to 11 pounds Physical Characteristics: Bluish-gray or darker and white coloration; legs and feet of blue petrels are bright blue; shallowly forked tails; long, slender wings Weight: 13 ounces to 1.7 pounds Physical Characteristics: Short, stalking diving bird; black on its uppersides and white on its chest and belly; bright orange webbed feet; white face and cheeks; large, triangular bright red and yellow parrot-like bill Weight: 1.5 to 2.2 pounds Physical Characteristics: Medium-sized; dark-coloration; tube-nosed ending with a sharp, slender, hooked bill Weight: 10 to 25 ounces Physical Characteristics: Mostly white feathers, sometimes with a bit of pink; black wing markings; black marks at the eyes; speckled feathers on their backs Weight: 4 ounces to 4 pounds Physical Characteristics: Usually gray or white, often with black markings on the head or wings; stout, longish bills; webbed feet Weight: 13.8 to 15.2 ounces Physical Characteristics: Long, forked tails; narrow wings; long bills, relatively short legs; pale grey above, white below, with a contrasting black head cap