Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge has been tracking Pink-footed Shearwaters for two decades

Pink-footed Shearwater, photograph from Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge

The Vulnerable Pink-footed Shearwater Ardenna creatopus is an ACAP-listed species endemic to islands off the coast of Chile.  Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge has been conducting research on the shearwater for near two decades.  The following article is taken from the NGO’s Oikonos April News (available by subscription)

“In 2024, in partnership with researcher Dr. Andrea Varela (Universidad de Concepción) and the Canadian Wildlife Service – Environment & Climate Change Canada, we tagged Pink-footed Shearwaters with geolocator devices, small leg-mounted sensors that track their movements across the ocean.  This work is part of a broader, 19-year effort to track these previously little-known shearwaters using tagging technologies.

Migration patterns of satellite-transmitter tagged Pink-footed Shearwaters tracked from 2006-2015., Graph by USGS Western Ecological Research Center

“Pink-footed Shearwaters range as far north as Alaska during the northern summer, and they nest only on three islands off the coast of Chile—Isla Mocha, Robinson Crusoe, and Santa Clara—during the Southern Hemisphere summer.  These islands are vital to the species' survival.  Our goal is to compare the movements and genetics of birds nesting on Isla Mocha with those from the Juan Fernández Archipelago. This research helps us identify threats unique to ach colony—and ultimately guide conservation efforts across their range.”

Follow the Juan Fernández team on a week of hard work and adventures while working towards the conservation of the archipelago's endemic species and the monitoring of the enigmatic Pink-footed Shearwater

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 15 May 2025