First photo from the Crozets?  Wandering Albatrosses on Possession Island, summer 1907/08, photograph by Anders Harboe Ree

Joanie Van de Walle (Département de biologie, chimie et géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Canada) and colleagues have published on boldness in Vulnerable Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans open access in the journal Oikos.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Population dynamics are shaped by individual differences. With a good understanding of the relationships between individual differences and vital rates, population models can be improved to yield more realistic and detailed demographic projections. Personality is expected to shape individual differences in performance. Yet, an empirical quantification of its impact on population dynamics is currently lacking. Here, we developed and analyzed a three-dimensional hyperstate population model that accounts for three sources of individual differences simultaneously in its structure: age, breeding state and boldness as a measure of personality. We parameterized our model using empirical demographic and boldness data on the wandering albatross Diomedea exulans population from Crozet. We quantified the relative importance of boldness through sensitivity analyses and simulations of increased strength of relationship between boldness and three vital rates (survival, breeding probability and breeding success). We showed that sensitivity of population growth rate to changes in vital rates followed the normal distribution of boldness within the population with population growth rate being less sensitive to changes in the vital rates of extreme shy or bold individuals. Our simulations showed that increasing the strength of the relationship between boldness and survival would yield the greatest shift in boldness distribution over time compared to breeding probability and breeding success. However, shifts in boldness distribution appeared constrained by the low heritability (< 0.2) value and the large variance in boldness in this population. Our study provides an important contribution to our understanding of the role of personality in shaping the population dynamics of wild species. In the face of global change, our approach offers a promising avenue to predict the potential for behavioral adaptation. More generally, our approach may help to unravel the complex interplay between individual variations in any (or many) traits and population dynamics.”

Reference:

Van de Walle, J., van Daalen, S., Patrick, S.C., Barbraud, C., Delord, K., Weimerskirch, H., Thorley, J. & Jenouvrier, S. 2026.  Linking differences in personality to demography in the wandering albatross.  Oikos doi.org/10.1002/oik.11765p.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 13 April 2026

Balearic Shearwater by ABUN artist Mary Ann Stafford, watercolour and collage, after a photograph by Pep Arcos

Marina Ramírez-Bal (Marine Research, Basque Research and Technology Alliance, Pasaia, Spain) and colleagues have published open access in the journal Global Ecology and Conservation on migration of the Critically Endangered Balearic Shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus.  Their study shows that core non-breeding areas for the species are in the Bay of Biscay, outside the Mediterranaean and the western Iberian coast, inside it.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Understanding the migratory patterns of declining species is essential to guide targeted conservation efforts. We studied the migratory dynamics of the critically endangered Balearic shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus) using geolocator data spanning 88 annual cycles from 53 individuals tracked between 2017 and 2022. Breeding birds were tagged at colonies across their main breeding islands in the Balearic archipelago (Ibiza, Mallorca and Menorca). Post-breeding movements revealed distinct migratory routes: all individuals from Ibiza and Mallorca (n = 78) migrated to the Atlantic, whereas 80 % of those from Menorca (n = 10) remained within the Mediterranean. Among Atlantic migrants, 54 % established core non-breeding areas in the Bay of Biscay, 41 % in the Western Iberia, and 5 % in the Gulf of Cadiz. Of the 27 individuals tracked across multiple years, 89 % consistently returned to the same non-breeding area, demonstrating strong site fidelity. Duration of stay in these regions ranged from one to seven months, with earlier arrivals typically remaining longer. Migration timing was influenced by breeding success: failed breeders departed approximately one month earlier than successful ones. These results underscore the importance of long-term monitoring programmes in capturing individual-level migratory patterns. By revealing consistent use of specific non-breeding areas, such programmes help identify sites that are repeatedly important across both space and time. Enabled by biologging technology, these insights are invaluable for the conservation of declining species. Site-based conservation actions focused on key Atlantic areas could deliver tangible benefits during the non-breeding season.”

Reference:

Ramírez-Bal, M., García-Barón, I., García, D., Arcos, J.M., Carrasco, G., Lewin, P., Delord, K. & Louzao, M. 2026.  Individual migratory patterns of the critically endangered Balearic shearwater: A multi-colony and multi-year study in the NE Atlantic.  Global Ecology and Conservation 65.  e03989.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 10 April 2026

“Albatross chick reaction when facing a Southern Giant Petrel (left) and a cat (right)”, from the publication

Anais Cotton (Centre de Recherche sur la Biodiversité et l’Environnement, Université de Toulouse, France) and colleagues have published open access in the Journal of Comparative Physiology A on the responses of Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans chicks to feral cats on France’s Kerguelen Island.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“In long-standing predator-prey systems, prey typically evolve costly responses to predation risk. How prey respond to novel predators is less investigated. We explored physiological (corticosterone, triglyceride), morphological (body condition) and behavioural (defensive posture) responses of wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) chicks to a novel predator, the feral cat (Felis catus) in Kerguelen archipelago. We implemented a semi-experimental design to increase the variance in cat abundance by regulating cat populations in certain zones of the study colony. The aforementioned chick traits were then monitored and analysed at the zone scale, by comparing nests located within regulated and non-regulated zones, and at the nest scale, by recording cat abundance through intensive camera traps monitoring. This fine-scale approach further enabled us to investigate how chicks responded to southern giant petrels (Macronectes giganteus), an opportunistic predator-scavenger that has co-evolved with albatrosses. Cat abundances had no effect on chick traits. In contrast, higher abundances of giant petrel were associated with an elevated rate of corticosterone increase and lower triglyceride levels. In accordance with these results suggesting a more accurate perception of predation risk mediated by giant petrels than by cats, chicks were more prone to display a defensive posture when facing a giant petrel than a cat. We discuss these results in the light of contrasting evolutionary histories and predation patterns between albatrosses and their predators, and we emphasise that studies of predator impacts on prey populations must consider both the direct and indirect effects of all predators, as well as their interactions.”

Reaf more about feral cats on Kerguelen here.

Reference:

Cotton, A., Barbraud, C., Leclaire, S., Delord, K., Bodin, A., Stier, A., Ribout, C., Parenteau, C.,  Ferdy, J.-B., Bourgoin, C., White, J., Angelier, F. & Blanchard, P.2026.   Physiological and behavioural responses of wandering albatross chicks (Diomedea exulans) to novel and non-novel predators.  Journal of Comparative Physiology A doi.org/10.1007/s00359-026-01793-6.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 09 April 2026

Succulent vegetation flowering on Deen Maar Island, photograph from the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action

Deen Maar, also known as Lady Julia Percy Island, is located approximately 20 km south-west of Port Fairy, Victoria in Australia’s Bass Strait. European Rabbits were first introduced in 1868 to the 133-h island to provide a food source for potential shipwreck survivors.  Two years after an eradication exercise, the island, a State Faunal Reserve, has been officially declared rabbit free.  Burrowing seabirds, including Short-tailed Shearwaters Ardenna tenuirostris (90 000 pairs estimated in 1964, but only 15 000 pairs reported in 1976), Fairy Prions Pachyptila turtur, Common Diving Petrels Pelecanoides urinatrix and Little Penguins Eudyptula minor, are now reported reclaiming sites previously overrun with rabbit warrens and using the empty holes as nest sites.

“The project was delivered in phases, including the use of calicivirus, aerial baiting, and monitoring and eradication trips. After the last rabbit was controlled in late October 2023, the project team undertook two years of monitoring, helping to protect the site’s cultural heritage and native ecosystem.” (click here).  Calcivirus was administered in chopped carrots and helicopters dispersed cereal bait pellets.

News of success comes in the year ACAP has chosen “Habitat Restoration” at its theme for World Albatross Day on 19 June 2026.

The Deen Maar Island Rabbit Eradication Project was led by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action in partnership with Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation, Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owner Aboriginal Corporation and Parks Victoria.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 08 April 2026