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Petrels, albatrosses, and storm-petrels are among the most beautiful yet least known of all the world's birds, living their lives at sea far from the sight of most people. Largely colored in shades of gray, black, and white, these enigmatic and fast-flying seabirds can be hard to differentiate, particularly from a moving boat. Useful worldwide, not just in North America, this photographic guide is based on unrivaled field experience and combines insightful text and hundreds of full-color images to help you identify these remarkable birds.

Artificial lights at night cause high mortality of seabirds, one of the most endangered groups of birds globally. Fledglings of burrow-nesting seabirds, and to a lesser extent adults, are attracted to and then grounded (i.e., forced to land) by lights when they fly at night. We reviewed the current state of knowledge of seabird attraction to light to identify information gaps and propose measures to address the problem. Although species in families such as Alcidae and Anatidae can be grounded by artificial light, the most affected seabirds are petrels and shearwaters (Procellariiformes). At least 56 species of Procellariiformes, more than one-third of them (24) threatened, are subject to grounding by lights. Seabirds grounded by lights have been found worldwide, mainly on oceanic islands but also at some continental locations. Petrel breeding grounds confined to formerly uninhabited islands are particularly at risk from light pollution due to tourism and urban sprawl. Where it is impractical to ban external lights, rescue programs of grounded birds offer the most immediate and employed mitigation to reduce the rate of light-induced mortality and save thousands of birds every year. These programs also provide useful information for seabird management. However, these data are typically fragmentary, biased, and uncertain and can lead to inaccurate impact estimates and poor understanding of the phenomenon of seabird attraction to lights. We believe the most urgently needed actions to mitigate and understand light-induced mortality of seabirds are estimation of mortality and effects on populations; determination of threshold light levels and safe distances from light sources; documentation of the fate of rescued birds; improvement of rescue campaigns, particularly in terms of increasing recovery rates and level of care; and research on seabird-friendly lights to reduce attraction. Las luces artificiales nocturnas causan una mortalidad alta de aves marinas, uno de los grupos de aves en mayor peligro de extinción a nivel mundial Lospolluelos de aves marinas que anidan en madrigueras, y en menor medida los adultos, son atraídos y forzados a aterrizar por las luces cuando vuelan de noche. Revisamos el estado actual del conocimiento sobre la atracción de las aves marinas por la luz para identificar vacíos de información y proponer medidas para resolver el problema. Aunque las especies de familias como Alcidae y Anatidae pueden ser forzadas a aterrizar por la luz artificial, las aves marinas más afectadas son los petreles y las pardelas (Procellariiformes). Por lo menos 56 especies de Procellariiformes, más de un tercio (24) de ellas amenazadas, son propensas al aterrizaje atraídas por las luces. Las aves marinas forzadas a aterrizar han sido halladas en todo el mundo, principalmente en islas oceánicas, pero también en algunas localidades continentales. Los sitios de anidación de los petreles confinados anteriormente a islas deshabitadas están particularmente en riesgo de sufrir contaminación lumínica debido al turismo y al crecimiento urbano. En donde no es práctico prohibir las luces externas, los programas de rescate de las aves accidentadas ofrecen la mitigación más inmediata y empleada para reducir la tasa de mortalidad inducida por la luz y salvar a miles de aves cada año. Estos programas también proporcionan información útil para el manejo de aves marinas. Sin embargo, estos datos están típicamente fragmentados, sesgados y son inciertos, y pueden llevar a estimaciones inexactas del impacto y a un entendimiento pobre del fenómeno de la atracción de las aves marinas por la luz. Creemos que las acciones necesarias de mayor urgencia para mitigar y entender la mortalidad de aves marinas producida por la luz son: la estimación de la mortalidad y los efectos sobre la población; la determinación de umbrales de niveles de luz y de distancias seguras a las fuentes de luz; el estudio del destino de las aves rescatadas; la mejora de las campañas de rescate, particularmente en términos de incrementar las tasas de recogida y el nivel de cuidado; y la investigación sobre las características de la luz para reducir la atracción de las aves marinas.

Incidental mortality (bycatch) in fisheries remains the greatest threat to many large marine vertebrates and is a major barrier to fisheries sustainability. Robust assessments of bycatch risk are crucial for informing effective mitigation strategies, but are hampered by missing information on the distributions of key life‐history stages (adult breeders and non‐breeders, immatures and juveniles). Using a comprehensive biologging dataset (1,692 tracks, 788 individuals) spanning all major life‐history stages, we assessed spatial overlap of four threatened seabird populations from South Georgia, with longline and trawl fisheries in the Southern Ocean. We generated monthly population‐level distributions, weighting each life‐history stage according to population age structure based on demographic models. Specifically, we determined where and when birds were at greatest potential bycatch risk, and from which fleets. Overlap with both pelagic and demersal longline fisheries was highest for black‐browed albatrosses, then white‐chinned petrels, wandering and grey‐headed albatrosses, whereas overlap with trawl fisheries was highest for white‐chinned petrels. Hotspots of fisheries overlap occurred in all major ocean basins, but particularly the south‐east and south‐west Atlantic Ocean (longline and trawl) and south‐west Indian Ocean (pelagic longline). Overlap was greatest with pelagic longline fleets in May–September, when fishing effort south of 25°S is highest, and with demersal and trawl fisheries in January–June. Overlap scores were dominated by particular fleets: pelagic longline—Japan, Taiwan; demersal longline and trawl—Argentina, Namibia, Falklands, South Africa; demersal longline—Convention for Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) waters, Chile, New Zealand. Synthesis and applications. We provide a framework for calculating appropriately weighted population‐level distributions from biologging data, which we recommend for future fisheries bycatch risk assessments. Many regions of high spatial overlap corresponded with high seabird bycatch rates recorded by on‐board observers, indicating that our approach reliably mapped relative bycatch risk at large spatial scales. Implementation of effective bycatch mitigation in these high‐risk regions varies considerably. Although potential bycatch risk appears to have decreased since the early 2000s, albatross and petrel populations from South Georgia and elsewhere are still declining, emphasizing the need for much improved observer coverage and monitoring of compliance with bycatch regulations. 摘要 漁業活動中的意外捕獲(bycatch)造成許多海洋脊椎動物嚴重的生存威脅，意外捕獲也是漁業永續經營的主要障礙。而對意外捕獲風險做出可靠的風險評估，對於提出有效的忌避策略至關重要，然而卻受限於缺少這些受脅物種生活史各個關鍵階段(繁殖期成鳥、非繁殖成鳥、亞成鳥、幼鳥)的分布資料。 使用獨特的全面生物資料輸入數據組(1697項追蹤、790個體)，資料涵蓋了生活史各個主要階段，我們評估了在南喬治亞4種受脅海鳥族群範圍，與在南冰洋的延繩釣及拖繩漁業作業範圍的重疊情形。將資料套用族群模式推估出族群年齡結構，再將生活史各階段賦予權重，我們製作了每月族群分布圖。我們更針對性指出特定海鳥在那一個季節、那一個海域受到意外捕獲的最高風險，以及是被那一類漁船所威脅。 與浮延繩釣及底延繩釣作業區域重疊最高的是黑眉信天翁，其次為白額鸌、漂泊信天翁、灰頭信天翁。與拖繩漁業區域重疊最高的是白額鸌。 海鳥族群與漁業重疊熱點發生在所有主要的海盆，特別是在大西洋的西南部及東南部（延繩釣及拖網漁業），印度洋西南（浮延繩釣漁業）。對於遠洋浮延繩釣船隊而言重疊度最高是在5月至9月，這時在南緯25度以南的漁業作業最頻繁，底延繩釣及拖網漁業高峰則在1月至6月。重疊指數被特定船隊所主導: 浮延繩釣為日本及臺灣; 底延繩釣及拖網為阿根廷、納米比亞、福克蘭、南非；CCAMLR海域的底延繩釣為智利、紐西蘭。 綜合及應用：我們提供了一個架構可以用生物資訊輸入數據，計算經合理權重後的族群分布，我們建議未來可應用於意外捕獲風險評估。許多高度重疊區域呼應了由隨船觀察員紀錄的高海鳥意外捕獲率，顯示出我們這個方法可製作可信度高的意外捕獲風險地圖。在這些高風險區域安排有效海鳥忌避措施的作法有相當大的差異。雖然自2000年初以來，潛在意外捕獲風險看似降低，但南喬治亞及其它地區的信天翁及水薙鳥的族群數量仍在下降，更突顯出需要改進意外捕獲規定中觀察員覆蓋度，以及改善監測漁船忌避措施規定的遵守。 要旨 漁業による偶発的な死（混獲）は未だに多くの大型海洋性脊椎動物にとって最大の脅威であり、持続可能な漁業の障害となっている。効果的な対策には頑健な混獲リスク評価が重要だが、生活環のステージごと（繁殖成体、非繁殖成体、幼体、亜成体）の分布情報の不足が妨げとなっている。 全ての主な生活環のステージを含む包括的なバイオロギングデータ（1697追跡、790個体）をもとに、サウスジョージアに生息する海鳥4種の絶滅危惧個体群と、南氷洋の延縄漁とトロール漁の空間的重複を評価した。月毎の海鳥個体群レベルの分布域の作成には、個体群統計モデルをもとに各生活環ステージの年齢構成を考慮した。特に、何時、何処で、どの船団によって海鳥が混獲リスクに晒される可能性が高いかを判定した。 浮延縄漁と底延縄漁との重複はマユグロアホウドリが最も高く、ノドジロクロミズナギドリ、ワタリアホウドリ、ハイガシラアホウドリが次いだ。トロール漁と の重複はノドジロクロミズナギドリが最も高かった。 漁業との重複が高いホットスポットは全ての主要海盆で判明したが、特に大西洋の南東域と南西域（延縄とトロール）、インド洋の南西域（浮延縄）で高かった。重複が最も高かったのは、浮延縄では南緯25度以南の漁獲努力量が最も高い5月から9月で、底延縄とトロールでは1月から6月であった。顕著に重複スコアが高かった特定の船団は以下のとおりであった：浮延縄 ‐日本、台湾；底延縄とトロール ‐ アルゼンチン、ナミビア、フォークランド諸島、南アフリカ；底延縄 ‐ CCAMLR海域、チリ、ニュージーランド。 総括と適用。今後の漁業による混獲リスク評価には、ここに示したようにバイオロギングデータをもとにした、また適切な考慮を含む、個体群レベルの分布計算の枠組みを推奨する。空間的重複が高いと推定された多くの海域では科学オブザーバーによっても高い混獲率が記録されており、この手法で混獲リスクを大きな空間スケールで的確にマッピングができることが示された。効果的な混獲対策の施行は、リスクの高い海域間で大きく異なっている。2000年代前半以降は潜在的な混獲リスクが減少したように見受けられるが、サウスジョージアやその他のアホウドリ類とミズナギドリ類の個体数は未だに減少しており、科学オブザーバーによるカバー率と混獲に関する規制順守のモニタリングの大幅な改善の必要性を強調する。 We provide a framework for calculating appropriately weighted population‐level distributions from biologging data, which we recommend for future fisheries bycatch risk assessments. Many regions of high spatial overlap corresponded with high seabird bycatch rates recorded by on‐board observers, indicating that our approach reliably mapped relative bycatch risk at large spatial scales. Implementation of effective bycatch mitigation in these high‐risk regions varies considerably. Although potential bycatch risk appears to have decreased since the early 2000s, albatross and petrel populations from South Georgia and elsewhere are still declining, emphasizing the need for much improved observer coverage and monitoring of compliance with bycatch regulations.

Shearwaters and petrels (hereafter petrels) are highly adapted seabirds that occur across all the world’s oceans. Petrels are a threatened seabird group comprising 120 species. They have bet-hedging life histories typified by extended chick rearing periods, low fecundity, high adult survival, strong philopatry, monogamy and long-term mate fidelity and are thus vulnerable to change. Anthropogenic alterations on land and at sea have led to a poor conservation status of many petrels with 49 (41%) threatened species based on IUCN criteria and 61 (51%) suffering population declines. Some species are well-studied, even being used as bioindicators of ocean health, yet for others there are major knowledge gaps regarding their breeding grounds, migratory areas or other key aspects of their biology and ecology. We assembled 38 petrel conservation researchers to summarize information regarding the most important threats according to the IUCN Red List of threatened species to identify knowledge gaps that must be filled to improve conservation and management of petrels. We highlight research advances on the main threats for petrels (invasive species at breeding grounds, bycatch, overfishing, light pollution, climate change, and pollution). We propose an ambitious goal to reverse at least some of these six main threats, through active efforts such as restoring island habitats (e.g. invasive species removal, control and prevention), improving policies and regulations at global and regional levels, and engaging local communities in conservation efforts. The clear message that emerges from this review is the continued need for research and monitoring to inform and motivate effective conservation at the global level.

Aim Determining the drivers of movement of different life‐history stages is crucial for understanding age‐related changes in survival rates and, for marine top predators, the link between fisheries overlap and incidental mortality (bycatch), which is driving population declines in many taxa. Here, we combine individual tracking data and a movement model to investigate the environmental drivers and conservation implications of divergent movement patterns in juveniles (fledglings) and adults of a threatened seabird, the white‐chinned petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis). Location South‐west Atlantic Ocean. Methods We compare the spatial distributions and movement characteristics of juvenile, breeding and non‐breeding adult petrels, and apply a mechanistic movement model to investigate the extent to which chlorophyll a concentrations (a proxy for food resources) and ocean surface winds drive their divergent distribution patterns. We also consider the conservation implications by determining the relative overlap of each life‐history stage with fishing intensity and reported fishing effort (proxies for bycatch risk). Results Naïve individuals fledged with similar flight capabilities (based on distances travelled, flight speeds and track sinuosity) to adults but differed in their trajectories. Comparison of simulations from the mechanistic model with real tracks showed that juvenile movements are best predicted by prevailing wind patterns, whereas adults are attracted to food resources on the Patagonian Shelf. The juveniles initially dispersed to less productive oceanic waters than those used by adults, and overlapped less with fishing activity; however, as they moved westwards towards South America, bycatch risk increased substantially. Main conclusions The use of a mechanistic framework provided insights into the ontogeny of movement strategies within the context of learned versus innate behaviour and demonstrated that divergent movement patterns of adults and juveniles can have important implications for the conservation of threatened seabirds.

Many animal taxa exhibit sex‐specific variation in ecological traits, such as foraging and distribution. These differences could result in sex‐specific responses to change, but such demographic effects are poorly understood. Here, we test for sex‐specific differences in the demography of northern (NGP, Macronectes halli) and southern (SGP, M. giganteus) giant petrels – strongly sexually size‐dimorphic birds that breed sympatrically at South Georgia, South Atlantic Ocean. Both species feed at sea or on carrion on land, but larger males (30% heavier) are more reliant on terrestrial foraging than the more pelagic females. Using multi‐event mark‐recapture models, we examine the impacts of long‐term changes in environmental conditions and commercial fishing on annual adult survival and use two‐sex matrix population models to forecast future trends. As expected, survival of male NGP was positively affected by carrion availability, but negatively affected by zonal winds. Female survival was positively affected by meridional winds and El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and negatively affected by sea ice concentration and pelagic longline effort. Survival of SGPs did not differ between sexes; however, survival of males only was positively correlated with the Southern Annular Mode (SAM). Two‐sex population projections indicate that future environmental conditions are likely to benefit giant petrels. However, any potential increase in pelagic longline fisheries could reduce female survival and population growth. Our study reveals that sex‐specific ecological differences can lead to divergent responses to environmental drivers (i.e. climate and fisheries). Moreover, because such effects may not be apparent when all individuals are considered together, ignoring sex differences could underestimate the relative influence of a changing environment on demography. Giant petrels (Macronectes spp.) are the most sexually size‐dimorphic of all seabirds. The author's study reveals that the resulted sex‐specific ecological differences can lead to divergent responses to environmental drivers. Moreover, because such effects may not be apparent when all individuals are considered together, ignoring sex differences could underestimate the relative influence of a changing environment on demography.

Light pollution is increasing around the world and altering natural nightscapes with potential ecological and evolutionary consequences. A severe ecological perturbation caused by artificial lights is mass mortalities of organisms, including seabird fledglings that are attracted to lights at night on their first flights to the sea. Here, we report on the number of fledging short-tailed shearwaters Ardenna tenuirostris found grounded in evening and morning rescue patrols conducted at Phillip Island, Australia, during a 15-year period (1999-2013). We assessed factors affecting numbers of grounded birds and mortality including date, moon phase, wind direction and speed, number of visitors and holiday periods. We also tested experimentally if birds were attracted to lights by turning the lights off on a section of the road. Of 8871 fledglings found, 39% were dead or dying. This mortality rate was 4-8 times higher than reported elsewhere for other shearwater species, probably because searching for fledglings was part of our systematic rescue effort rather than the opportunistic rescue used elsewhere. Thus, it suggests that light-induced mortality of seabirds is usually underestimated. We rescued more birds (dead and alive) in peak fledging, moonless and windy nights. Mortality increased through the fledging period, in the mornings and with increased traffic on holiday periods. Turning the road lights off decreased the number of grounded birds (dead and alive). While moon, wind and time are uncontrolled natural constraints, we demonstrated that reduction of light pollution and better traffic management can mitigate artificial light-induced mortality.

Given the major ongoing influence of environmental change on the oceans, there is a need to understand and predict the future distributions of marine species in order to plan appropriate mitigation to conserve vulnerable species and ecosystems. In this study we use tracking data from seven large seabird species of the Southern Ocean (black‐browed albatross Thalassarche melanophris, grey‐headed albatross T. chrysostoma, northern giant petrel Macronectes halli, southern giant petrel M. giganteus, Tristan albatross Diomedea dabbenena, wandering albatross D. exulans and white‐chinned petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis, and on fishing effort in two types of fisheries (characterised by low or high‐bycatch rates), to model the associations with environmental variables (bathymetry, chlorophyll‐a concentration, sea surface temperature and wind speed) through ensemble species distribution models. We then projected these distributions according to four climate change scenarios built by the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change for 2050 and 2100. The resulting projections were consistent across scenarios, indicating that there is a strong likelihood of poleward shifts in distribution of seabirds, and several range contractions (resulting from a shift in the northern, but no change in the southern limit of the range in four species). Current trends for southerly shifts in fisheries distributions are also set to continue under these climate change scenarios at least until 2100; some of these may reflect habitat loss for target species that are already over‐fished. It is of particular concern that a shift in the distribution of several highly threatened seabird species would increase their overlap with fisheries where there is a high‐bycatch risk. Under such scenarios, the associated shifts in distribution of seabirds and increases in bycatch risk will require much‐improved fisheries management in these sensitive areas to minimise impacts on populations in decline.

Animal-borne sensors enable researchers to remotely track animals, their physiological state and body movements. Accelerometers, for example, have been used in several studies to measure body movement, posture, and energy expenditure, although predominantly in marine animals. In many studies, behaviour is often inferred from expert interpretation of sensor data and not validated with direct observations of the animal. The aim of this study was to derive models that could be used to classify oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) behaviour based on sensor data. We measured the location, speed, and tri-axial acceleration of three oystercatchers using a flexible GPS tracking system and conducted simultaneous visual observations of the behaviour of these birds in their natural environment. We then used these data to develop three supervised classification trees of behaviour and finally applied one of the models to calculate time-activity budgets. The model based on accelerometer data developed to classify three behaviours (fly, terrestrial locomotion, and no movement) was much more accurate (cross-validation error = 0.14) than the model based on GPS-speed alone (cross-validation error = 0.35). The most parsimonious acceleration model designed to classify eight behaviours could distinguish five: fly, forage, body care, stand, and sit (cross-validation error = 0.28); other behaviours that were observed, such as aggression or handling of prey, could not be distinguished. Model limitations and potential improvements are discussed. The workflow design presented in this study can facilitate model development, be adapted to a wide range of species, and together with the appropriate measurements, can foster the study of behaviour and habitat use of free living animals throughout their annual routine.

Many species of seabird ingest or are provisioned with pumice stones, buoyant volcanic rocks that are thought to aide in digestion, occasionally during times of poor prey availability. Unlike other indigestible matter, like plastics, the effect of pumice on chick growth, its relationship with ingested plastics, and variation among years has not yet been examined. We analysed the amount of ingested pumice from 739 Flesh-footed (Ardenna carneipes) and 173 Wedge-tailed Shearwaters (A. pacifica) from Lord Howe Island, Australia sampled using stomach lavage between 2011 and 2022. The total mass of ingested pumice was positively related to the mass of ingested plastics in Flesh-footed, but not Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, but not when using mean stone mass. Pumice mass did not vary over time, except for one higher year for each species (2016 for Flesh-footed Shearwaters and 2014 for Wedge-tailed Shearwaters), and there was no effect of pumice mass on chick body size at fledgling. Our results are consistent with the coexistence over geological time of seabirds and floating pumice, and future work should focus on aspects of retention in the digestive system and potential interactions with and efficacy in the presence of novel materials, like plastics.