Effects Of Geolocation Tracking Devices On Behavior, Reproductive Success, and Return Rate of Aethia Auklets: An Evaluation of Tag Mass Guidelines

Biologging is suspect to cause corneal opacity in two populations of wild living Northern Bald Ibises (Geronticus eremita)

“…We also agree with the increasingly expressed demand that ethical standards of biologging studies should not be limited to the compliance with an arbitrary 5% or 3% rule related to the body mass (Portugal & White, 2018). Other possible effects of biologging should be taken into consideration and assessment of return rates or other reasonable parameters relative to control birds be incorporated (Bodey et al, 2017;Geen et al 2019;Schacter & Jones, 2017). It must be assumed that biologging in any case affects the individual to a certain extent and potentially in unexpected ways.…”

Confirmed year-round residence and land roosting of Whiskered Auklets (Aethia pygmaea) at Buldir Island, Alaska

“…A comparison of tagged and control Whiskered Auklets at Buldir showed minor decreases in chick growth, and much lower adult return rates in one of two years studied (Schacter and Jones 2017), and so we cannot rule out the possibility that behavior recorded may differ from that occurring naturally in untagged individuals. However, we believe that our lower tag recovery rate in the second year of the study was at least partially related to our delayed arrival at Buldir (due to logistical issues) and consequent missed captures of birds whose nests failed early in incubation, not wholly due to the tags themselves.…”

“…However, we believe that our lower tag recovery rate in the second year of the study was at least partially related to our delayed arrival at Buldir (due to logistical issues) and consequent missed captures of birds whose nests failed early in incubation, not wholly due to the tags themselves. Compared to highly migratory species like Crested Auklet (Aethia cristatella; Robinson and Jones 2014), Whiskered Auklets' sedentary nature would be expected to render them less susceptible to tag effects as the birds did not make costly long-distance movements (for more detailed discussion of tag effects, see Schacter and Jones 2017).…”

“…Adults were removed from breeding sites in June while they brooded chicks, because handling does not cause nest abandonment at this stage (Schacter and Jones 2017). Birds were captured by hand or pulled out using a blunt metal crook placed around the tarsus/tibia.…”

“…We gave each adult a numbered USGS aluminum band and a custom-made Darvic color band with a flattened side to which tags were attached with a 2-part marine epoxy and further secured with a cable tie. We compared the breeding success and return rates of tagged birds to undisturbed control birds to assess potential negative effects of tags on reproduction and return rates (Schacter and Jones 2017). We collected breast feathers for genetic sex determination (Fridolfsson and Ellegren 1999) of tagged individuals at the Genomics and Proteomics Facility at Memorial University of Newfoundland.…”