First evidence of diverging migration and overwintering strategies in glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus) from the Canadian Arctic
Author:
Baak Julia E.1, Patterson Allison1, Gilchrist H. Grant2, Elliott Kyle H.1
Affiliation:
1. Department of Natural Resource Sciences , McGill University , Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, H9X 3V9 , Canada 2. Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada , Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6 , Canada
Abstract
Abstract
Many seabird populations differ in their migration strategies, where individuals travel in different directions to separate wintering areas. These migratory strategies may expose individuals to different threats, thus understanding migratory connectivity is crucial to assess risks to populations. Glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus) are generalist predators with flexible migratory behaviour that may alter these behaviours in response to climate change and anthropogenic activities, such as access to landfills, yet little is known about their migration. We deployed GPS and GLS tracking devices on glaucous gulls from Coats Island, Nunavut, Canada to obtain the first insights into their migration and habitat use outside of the breeding season. Gulls used two migration strategies during the non-breeding season, where one migrated as far as the Sea of Okhotsk in the Pacific and the remainder (n = 7) wintered in the North Atlantic. Gulls primarily overwintered in pelagic (56%) and coastal (38%) habitats. While in coastal habitats, one gull visited one landfill once, but visits increased with a 1 km and 3 km buffer, suggesting that urban glaucous gulls primarily used non-landfill habitats. This research can be used as a baseline to explore changes in migratory behaviour and inform future conservation of Arctic-breeding gulls.
Publisher
Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Subject
Animal Science and Zoology,Ecology,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
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