Fly and dive, fly and dive: tracking Flesh-footed Shearwaters across the Pacific Ocean

Matt Rayner of New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) and colleagues writing in the Journal of Avian Biology have tracked Flesh-footed Shearwaters Puffinus carneipes, a potential species for ACAP listing, across the Pacific.

The paper's abstract follows:

"The flesh-footed shearwater Puffinus carneipes is a medium-sized shearwater and transequatorial migrant within the Pacific Ocean.  We used archival data loggers to study the non-breeding migration and diving behaviour of three fleshfooted shearwaters following breeding in New Zealand.  In early April, the birds migrated to the western North Pacific Ocean in 23±2 days, occupying core distributions within the Kuroshio/Oyashio transition system for 91±17 days.  Subsequent movements were made into the Sea of Okhotsk prior to return migrations to New Zealand in mid September (19±1 days).  Diving depths during migration (2.5±2.4 m), and in the western North Pacific (2.4±2.6 m) were shallower than during the onset of breeding (4.8±8.7 m).  Non-breeding flesh-footed shearwaters occupy a region of high fisheries activity and the impact of these fisheries on adult survival in this declining species warrant further study."

Reference:

Rayner, M.J., Taylor, G.A., Thompson, D.R., Torres, L.G., Sagar, P.M. & Shaffer, S.A.  2011.  Migration and diving activity in three non-breeding flesh-footed shearwaters Puffinus carneipesJournal of Avian Biology 42: 266-270.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer. 19 June 2011

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