Water conservation in birds Many marine birds but particularly albatrosses and petrels (Procellariformes), which spend much of their life airborne at sea a long way from land, have well-developed supraorbital salt or nasal glands. They can cope with drinking seawater (3% salt solution). Such glands can secrete salt solution at a concentration of 5%. Even the herring gull (Larus ridibundus) can secrete salt solution at the rate of 0.3–0.4 ml/min/g of gland, the concentration of the