Apparent survival of adult Leach&amp;#8217;s Storm-petrels (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) breeding on Bon Portage Island, Nova Scotia

Fife, Danielle T.; Pollet, Ingrid L.; Robertson, Gregory J.; Shutler, Dave

doi:10.5751/ace-00771-100201

Cited by 15 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…Unfortunately, it remains unclear as to why the Leach’s Storm-petrel colony on Baccalieu Island has declined. Apparent adult survival rates (< 0.8) at three colonies in Atlantic Canada, including on Baccalieu Island, are well below the expected values for this normally long-lived species (Fife et al 2015; A. H. unpubl. data).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

The world’s largest breeding colony of Leach’s Storm-petrel Hydrobates leucorhous has declined

Wilhelm

Hedd

Robertson

et al. 2019

Bird Conservation International

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SummaryDespite the global significance of the Leach’s Storm-petrel Hydrobates leucorhous colony on Baccalieu Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, the estimate of 3.36 million breeding pairs reported for 1984 by Sklepkovych and Montevecchi stands as the single published population estimate for the world’s largest colony. This study increases knowledge of this population by analysing data from additional independent surveys conducted in 1984 and 1985, and by updating the population status with a survey conducted in 2013. Population estimates were derived by extrapolating occupied burrow densities to the estimated occupied area of four main habitat types (heath, forest, grass and fern), which in turn were based on proportions of habitats observed in plots (1984 and 1985) or by using a Geographic Information System approach (2013). Based on these surveys, the Leach’s Storm-petrel breeding population size on Baccalieu Island was estimated at 5.12 ± 0.73 (SE) and 4.60 ± 0.42 (SE) million pairs in 1984 and 1985 respectively, representing estimates 37–51% greater than the original 1984 survey. While discrepancies among these estimates were largely driven by the way occupied areas were estimated, our study confirms that Baccalieu Island hosts the largest Leach’s Storm-petrel colony in the world. Results from the 2013 survey estimate the current breeding Leach’s Storm-petrel population at 1.95 ± 0.14 (SE) million pairs, representing a 42% decline over 29 years (-1.4% per year), relative to the original published estimate of 3.36 ± 0.12 (SE) million pairs. The most prominent change has occurred in the density of storm-petrel burrows found in forest habitat which dropped by 70% despite forest remaining the second most abundant habitat available to nesting storm-petrels on Baccalieu Island. The cause of this decline remains unknown and is likely multi-faceted. Future research focusing on demographic studies is required to understand what is driving the population decline of this internationally important colony.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

The world’s largest breeding colony of Leach’s Storm-petrel Hydrobates leucorhous has declined

Wilhelm

Hedd

Robertson

et al. 2019

Bird Conservation International

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“…, Fife et al. ), identifying factors that may influence survival during the breeding and non‐breeding seasons may be key for future conservation efforts for both species. Additional study is also needed to identify the specific areas used by each species during both breeding and non‐breeding periods.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, Fife et al. ). In the northeast Pacific Ocean, the number of storm‐petrels is estimated to be in the millions (Harris , Sowls et al.…”

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confidence: 99%

Year-round movements of sympatric Fork-tailed (Oceanodroma furcata) and Leach's (O. leucorhoa) storm-petrels

Halpin¹,

Pollet

Lee

et al. 2018

J. Field Ornithol.

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Long-distance movements are characteristic of most seabirds in the order Procellariiformes. However, little is known about the migration and foraging ranges of many of the smaller species in this order, especially storm-petrels (Hydrobatidae). We used Global Location Sensors to document the year-round movements of sympatrically breeding Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels (Oceanodroma furcata) and Leach's Storm-Petrels (O. leucorhoa) from the Gillam Islands located northwest of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. In 2016, breeding Fork-tailed (N = 5) and Leach's (N = 2) storm-petrels traveled maximum distances of~1550-1600 km from their colony to a region that has a wide shelf with major canyons creating a highly productive foraging area. After the breeding season, Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels (N = 2) traveled to similar areas west of the Gillam Islands, a maximum distance of~3600 km from the breeding colony, and remained in the North Pacific Ocean and north of the Subarctic Boundary for an average of 5.4 mo. Postbreeding Leach's Storm-Petrels (N = 2) moved south to the Eastern Tropical Pacific, west of central Mexico, Ecuador, and northern Peru, an estimated maximum distance of~6700 km from their breeding colony, and remained there for an average of 7.2 mo. Carbon (d 13 C) and nitrogen (d 15 N) stable isotope analyses of feathers revealed niche separation between Fork-tailed (N = 21) and Leach's (N = 53) storm-petrels. The wide range of d 15 N values in the feathers of Leach's Storm-Petrels (N = 53) suggests that they foraged at a variety of trophic levels during the non-breeding season. Our results demonstrate that storm-petrels have large core foraging areas and occupy vast oceanic areas in the Pacific during their annual cycle. However, given the coarse precision of Global Location Sensors, additional study is needed to identify the specific areas used by each species during both breeding and non-breeding periods.RESUMEN. Movimientos anuales de los simp atricos Pa ıño rabihorcado (Oceanodroma furcata) y Pa ıño boreal (O. leucorhoa) Los moviemientos a larga distancia son caracter ısticos de la mayor ıa de las aves marinas del orden Procellariiformes. Aun as ı, poco se sabe de la migraci on y los rangos de forrajeo de las especies m as pequeñas del orden, especialmente los petreles de las tormentas o pa ıños (Hydrobatidae). Usamos Sensores de Ubicaci on Global para documentar los movimientos durante todo el año de dos especies que cr ıan simp atricamente, el Pa ıño rabihorcado (Oceanodroma furcata) y el Pa ıño boreal (O. leucorhoa), desde las Islas Gillam ubicadas al noroeste de la Isla de Vancouver, Columbia Brit anica, Canad a. En 2016, los pa ıños rabihorcados (N = 5) y boreales (N = 2) reproductivamente activos viajaron distancias m aximas de~1550-1600 km desde su colonia a una regi on que tiene una placa ancha con grandes cañones que crean un area de forrajeo altamente productiva. Luego de la temporada reproductiva, los pa ıño rabihorcados (N = 2) viajaron a areas similares al oeste de las Islas Gillam, una dis...

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“…This species is listed as "Vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and "Threatened" by the Committee On the Status of Endangered Wildlife In Canada (COSEWIC) as a result of a 54% decline in northwestern Atlantic colonies over three generations (approximately 44 years;BirdLife International, 2018;Bird et al, 2020;COSEWIC, 2020). The species' largest colonies, located in Atlantic Canada, are experiencing the most drastic declines (Montevecchi and McFarlane, 2019;Duda et al, 2020;d'Entremont et al, 2020;Wilhelm et al, 2020), with lower estimated annual survival than conspecifics in the Pacific Ocean (Fife et al, 2015;Rennie et al, 2020). These birds are highly pelagic and spend the non-breeding period on the open ocean (Pollet et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Foraging Paths of Breeding Leach’s Storm-Petrels in Relation to Offshore Oil Platforms, Breeding Stage, and Year

et al. 2022

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The global population of Leach’s Storm-Petrels (Hydrobates leucorhous), the smallest and most abundant breeding seabird species in eastern Canada, has declined substantially in recent decades. The species is listed as “Threatened” by the Committee On the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and as “Vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Fatal attraction to anthropogenic light is a major risk for Leach’s Storm-Petrels and many other nocturnal seabirds. From May to September each year, Leach’s Storm-Petrels in eastern Canada breed in island colonies and travel many hundreds of kilometers to obtain prey for themselves and their chick. At the species’ largest colonies in eastern Newfoundland, brightly illuminated oil production platforms intersect breeding storm-petrels’ foraging paths. The level of risk posed by these platforms is poorly understood. GPS tracking from 2016 to 2021 at one of the world’s largest colonies revealed considerable similarity in foraging trip distance, location, and behavior (inferred from Hidden Markov Models) among years, and a decrease in trip distance and duration between incubation and chick-rearing. Leach’s Storm-Petrels flew within the light catch-basin of an oil platform in 17.5% of trips, and the birds tended to transit rapidly past platforms during the day when light attraction is minimal. Exposure to oil platforms at night occurred in only 1.1% of trips. Despite our findings, Leach’s Storm-Petrels are known to strand on oil platforms in large numbers, especially during the fledging period. In addition, storm-petrels migrate over great distances and are likely exposed to brightly illuminated oceanic oil platforms outside the breeding season. Our results emphasize the need to focus conservation research on risks during migration and winter, and on juveniles and immature birds.

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Apparent survival of adult Leach’s Storm-petrels (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) breeding on Bon Portage Island, Nova Scotia

Cited by 15 publications

References 50 publications

The world’s largest breeding colony of Leach’s Storm-petrel Hydrobates leucorhous has declined

The world’s largest breeding colony of Leach’s Storm-petrel Hydrobates leucorhous has declined

Year-round movements of sympatric Fork-tailed (Oceanodroma furcata) and Leach's (O. leucorhoa) storm-petrels

Foraging Paths of Breeding Leach’s Storm-Petrels in Relation to Offshore Oil Platforms, Breeding Stage, and Year

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