However, while studies on large and easily accessible species (albatrosses, large petrels and shearwaters) have benefited from the development of animal-borne data loggers for more than three decades, knowledge of the ecology of smaller species has remained limited.
Effective conservation requires precise information of species’ ecological niches during the whole annual cycle, covering both the breeding and non-breeding seasons. Among them, the Procellariiformes are one of the most endangered avian groups owing to the numerous natural and anthropogenic threats faced throughout their distribution.
Seabirds often forage in a patchy and dynamic environment, occupying a wide range of ecological niches. Understanding the at-sea distribution and ecology of prions during the whole annual cycle will be fundamental to their conservation as it can reveal species- or population-specific threats that have been overlooked because of their status as abundant species. In addition, contrary to previous assumptions, the GLS data revealed an unsuspected post-breeding migration to the waters south of Australia, during which individuals probably undergo a rapid moult of flight feathers. Miniaturized GPS loggers during the breeding season and geolocators (GLS) during the non-breeding period were used over 4 consecutive years (2017–2021), with results that highlight the importance of the continental shelf-edge waters for fairy prions throughout the year. The present study investigates the year-round at-sea distribution and foraging ecology of the fairy prion ( Pachyptila turtur) in southeastern Australia.
This lack of knowledge is exacerbated in the case of polytypic genera with species sharing very similar appearance and behaviour, such as the super-abundant prions ( Pachyptila spp.). However, until recently, collecting information about small species has been precluded by the excessive size of the required devices. For seabirds, this implies investigating the at-sea distribution and foraging behaviour during both the breeding and non-breeding periods.
Effective conservation assessments require detailed information of species' ecological niches during the whole annual cycle.
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