Survival of Manx Shearwaters fledging from Skokholm Island

Chris Perrins (Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, University of Oxford, UK) has published in the 2104 issue of Seabird, the annual journal of the Seabird Group, on survival of Manx Shearwaters Puffinus puffinus banded as fledglings in the 1960s and 1970 on an island off Wales.

The paper’s abstract follows:

During an 11-year period starting in the mid-1960s, large numbers of fledgling Manx Shearwaters Puffinus puffinus were ringed and recaptured on Skokholm Island, Pembrokeshire, Wales.  Since it is unlikely that any more will ever be found, this paper summarises the factors that affected the chances of a fledgling surviving long enough to be recaptured on the island.  Both the date on which they were ringed and their weight at that time influenced the probability that they would be recaptured.  Some implications for the annual cycle are discussed.

Manx Shearwater fledgling, photograph by Jaclyn Pearson

Reference:

Perrins, C.M. 2014. Factors affecting survival of fledgling Manx Shearwaters Puffinus puffinus.  Seabird 27: 62-71.

NOTE:  the complete PDF will become available online in May 2015.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 04 February 2015