Action links are new to Drupal 7. An $action_links variable is added to page template. They're local tasks that perform actions, rather than take you to listing pages. Rather than being rendered as tabs by default, they are rendered as links directly below the help (if any) for that page.

They are a new "interaction pattern" that is very cool. "If you're on the content overview page, there's a good chance you want to add new content."

See chapter {ux} for more.