Short-tailed shearwaters breeding in Australia forage in Antarctic waters

Abstract

This paper provides the first proof that short-tailed shearwaters Puffinus tenuirostris breeding in Australia forage in antarctic waters. The remarkable foraging flights of 3 shearwaters breeding in a colony in eastern Australia were determined from satellite tracking data. The birds were tracked leaving Montague Island, New South Wales, and foraging in the Southern Ocean around Antarctic islands and along the ice-shelf of Antarctica during the chick-rearing period in February to April 1997. The birds flew up to 15 000 km in a single foraging round trip, flying at speeds of up to 88 km h-1. They flew further in the day than at night, and were more active on moonlit nights than darker nights.