---
title: "World Migratory Bird Day, light pollution and ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels"
---

# World Migratory Bird Day, light pollution and ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels

*![Corys shearwater grounded by lights. Photo Beneharo Rodríguez](https://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Shearwaters/Corys/Corys_shearwater_grounded_by_lights._Photo_Beneharo_Rodríguez.jpg)  
A fledgling Cory's Shearwater is grounded by street lights; photograph by Beneharo Rodríguez*

 Today (14 May) is the first of the year’s two [World Migratory Bird Days](https://www.worldmigratorybirdday.org/), both with the theme of light pollution under the slogan “[Dim the Lights for Birds at Night!](https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cms.int%2Fen%2Fnews%2Fdim-lights-birds-night-%25E2%2580%2593-world-migratory-bird-day-2022-slogan-announced&data=04%7C01%7Cchristine.bogle%40acap.aq%7Ce96b783c4b654bd9fec208da1d4c5cd6%7C64ebab8accf44b5ca2d32b4e972d96b2%7C0%7C0%7C637854512095107972%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=UpG81DPoJtJAFA%2BZjfbI%2BHO83vOQcDTjnGjJLqxYMBc%3D&reserved=0)” (in French *Des nuits noires pour les vols migratoires*; in Spanish; *Noches oscuras, migraciones seguras*).

 Three ACAP-listed species are notably affected by light pollution, Spain’s [Critically Endangered](http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/balearic-shearwater-puffinus-mauretanicus) Balearic *Puffinus mauretanicus* and Chile’s [Vulnerable](http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/22698195) Pink-*footed Ardenna creatopu*s Shearwaters and New Zealand’s [Endangered](http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/westland-petrel-procellaria-westlandica) Westland Petrel *Procellaria westlandica*.  The other four ACAP-listed *Procellaria* petrels, that come ashore and fledge from burrows at night, breed in dark sky locales (Southern Ocean  islands and for the [Vulnerable](http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/22698150) Black Petrel *P. parkinsoni*, New Zealand's [Great and Little Barrier Islands](https://www.acap.aq/news/news-archive/60-2013-news-archive/1361-acap-breeding-sites-no-24-great-barrier-aotea-and-little-barrier-hauturu-islands-new-zealand-only-breeding-sites-of-the-black-petrel).  Similarly, the diurnal and so largely unaffected albatrosses and giant petrels tend to breed in areas with little light pollution.

 A number of non ACAP-listed burrowing procellariiforms is affected by light pollution during breeding.  These include the [Vulnerable](http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/22698230) Yelkouan *Puffinus yelkouan,* [Critically Endangered](http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/newells-shearwater-puffinus-newelli) Newell's *P. newelli*, [Endangered](http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/22698252) Hutton's *P. huttoni*, [Least Concern](http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/22732244) Cory's *Calonectris borealis*, [Least Concern](http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/scopolis-shearwater-calonectris-diomedea/refs) Scopoli’s *C. diomedea,* [Least Concern](http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/22698216) Short-tailed *A. tenuirostris* Shearwaters and the[Endangered](http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/hawaiian-petrel-pterodroma-sandwichensis) Hawaiian Petrel *Pterodroma sandwichensis*.  These are the species towards which research and mitigation efforts are mostly directed, as is reported from time to time in *ACAP Latest News*.

 Attraction of seabirds to well-lit vessels at sea appears to affect mainly the smaller, non-ACAP listed procellariiform species (storm petrels, diving petrels, prions), rather than any of the larger ACAP-listed species.

 ![WMBD2022 Light Pollution](https://www.acap.aq/images/stories/WMBD2022_Light_Pollution.jpg)

 To access the World Migratory Bird Day 2022 Campaign Strategy document [click here](https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cms.int%2Fen%2Fpublication%2Fworld-migratory-bird-day-2022-campaign-strategy&data=04%7C01%7Cchristine.bogle%40acap.aq%7Ce96b783c4b654bd9fec208da1d4c5cd6%7C64ebab8accf44b5ca2d32b4e972d96b2%7C0%7C0%7C637854512095107972%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=hbQ8UXDua6bx1rLhParvExD8SxEPPumxtQmQ5RVR47Y%3D&reserved=0).  The document provides the strategic goals and key messages for the 2022 campaign as agreed by the three main organizing partners of World Migratory Bird Day: the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals ([CMS](https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cms.int%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cchristine.bogle%40acap.aq%7Ce96b783c4b654bd9fec208da1d4c5cd6%7C64ebab8accf44b5ca2d32b4e972d96b2%7C0%7C0%7C637854512095107972%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=k8mySCCS0u2%2F3slrky48tiPFGKAv37mQ5bLJqeN9zeA%3D&reserved=0)), the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement ([AEWA](https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.unep-aewa.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cchristine.bogle%40acap.aq%7Ce96b783c4b654bd9fec208da1d4c5cd6%7C64ebab8accf44b5ca2d32b4e972d96b2%7C0%7C0%7C637854512095107972%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=zwr2KwOdR2jH4NX5AEWKmfjasoes0%2FwfnpKMNpl271k%3D&reserved=0)) and the non-profit organization, Environment for the Americas ([EFTA](https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fenvironmentamericas.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cchristine.bogle%40acap.aq%7Ce96b783c4b654bd9fec208da1d4c5cd6%7C64ebab8accf44b5ca2d32b4e972d96b2%7C0%7C0%7C637854512095107972%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=bxrg3L343edm%2F1bMvFHolLQfzNcNKnjvvqYmA3eAbG8%3D&reserved=0)).

 *J**ohn Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 14 May 2022*