The Audouin's gull (Ichthyaetus audouinii) is one of the rarest species of seagull. It breeds on islets and coastal cliffs. The colonies are usually located among large rocks and grasses to protect the chicks from predators and the sun. In the 1970s the world population had plummeted to 1000 pairs but it has since rebounded to more than 10,000 breeding pairs. It is important not to disturb the nesting birds, for they will fly away and the eggs will not survive long in the summer heat. Unlike most gulls, this species is a specialist fish eater; it feeds at night well out to sea but it will not refuse morsels of food near tourist areas.