Year-round at-sea movements of fairy prions from southeastern Australia

Abstract

Effective conservation assessments require detailed information of species' ecological niches during the whole annual cycle. For seabirds, this implies investigating the at-sea distribution and foraging behaviour during both the breeding and non-breeding periods. However, until recently, collecting information about small species has been precluded by the excessive size of the required devices. 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.). The present study investigates the year-round at-sea distribution and foraging ecology of the fairy prion ( Pachyptila turtur ) in southeastern Australia. 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. 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. 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.