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Résumé :
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Present knowledge of the distribution, relative abundance and movements of most species of seabirds within the Mediterranean is still quite incomplete. This is partly due to the fact that many areas have not yet been adequately surveyed, as there are big differences in the development of ornithology between countries, but also because the existing literature is extremely scattered over many nations and in several languages, thus making difficult or even preventing any attempt of synthesis (see i.e. James, 1984). Regional reviews, such as those presented by Brichetti (1980, 1982) with regard to Italy, Corsica and the Maltese Islands, should be encouraged as a first step to gather the existing information and allow the building up of more comprehensive pictures on the status of Mediterranean seabirds. One of us recently prepared a short review on the status and conservation, of the seabirds breeding in the Spanish Mediterranean (De Juana, 1984). In the present paper we deal with all the marine species breeding or visiting the westernmost stretch of the Mediterranean, an area where we have been able to do some fieldwork and to collect most of the relevant existing literature.
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