Evolution of sex ratios and sexual dimorphism in seabirds

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Seabirds make up less than three percent of all the bird species in the world, testifying to the rigours imposed by a life predominantly at sea. Feeding far from land and bringing food back to feed the chick imposes on seabirds a suite of characters that occur separately in some other birds but are found together only in seabirds, leading to the recognition of a "seabird syndrome": high survival (long lifespan), low reproductive rate, prolonged period of sexual maturation, colonial nesting, monogamy, biparental care, and sexual monomorphism (males and females similar).