Moonlight diminishes seabird attraction to artificial light

Rodríguez, Airam; Atchoi, Elizabeth; Rodríguez, Beneharo; Pipa, Tania; Le Corre, Matthieu; Ainley, David G.

doi:10.1111/csp2.13014

Cited by 5 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(48 reference statements)

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“…Adults tend to reduce their activity at the colony during the full moon [12][13][14][15], which may be a predator avoidance strategy, and fewer Leach's storm-petrels strand during the full moon (figure 2a) [5,7]. Storm-petrel chicks fledging across moonlight conditions suggests that attraction to anthropogenic light is tempered by available moonlight [19].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Also, fledglings may be particularly vulnerable to light attraction due to their underdeveloped visual systems [30,31]. Therefore, greater moon illumination reducing the relative intensity of anthropogenic light will presumably reduce their attraction [11,14,19].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, adults tend to be less active at the colony during the full moon [12][13][14][15][16]. Together, these results suggest that nocturnal seabirds avoid fledging on nights when the moon is fuller [17], yet few studies have assessed this hypothesis [15,18,19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Small tube-nosed seabirds fledge on the full moon and throughout the lunar cycle

Collins,

Hedd,

Montevecchi

et al. 2023

Biol. Lett.

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Many seabirds are attracted to anthropogenic light, and the risk is greater for recent fledglings. Moon phase predicts the probability of stranding (fewer birds strand on the full moon), but it remains uncertain whether moon phase is associated with when young seabirds fledge. Fledging behaviour of nocturnal, burrowing seabirds can be difficult to monitor using traditional methods but can provide insight into environmental factors that influence the risk of stranding. We used passive integrated transponder tags to monitor the fledging dates and times of Leach's storm-petrel ( Hydrobates leucorhous ) chicks across four breeding seasons (2017, 2018, 2021, 2022) at a major colony in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. We also assessed whether moon phase and incident illumination related to fledging date and time. The median fledge time was 1.6 h after sunset (0.6–11.7 h). The median fledge date was 10 October, and fledging dates ranged from 13 September to 13 November. Most importantly, moon phase was not associated with the time and date that Leach's storm-petrel chicks fledged. These results suggest that recently fledged storm-petrels are less attracted to anthropogenic light during high levels of natural illumination, which could indicate periods of higher stranding risk and help concentrate conservation efforts.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Small tube-nosed seabirds fledge on the full moon and throughout the lunar cycle

Collins,

Hedd,

Montevecchi

et al. 2023

Biol. Lett.

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“…Second, we hypothesized that environmental conditions influence light exposure and subsequently the amount of storm-petrel strandings around ALAN (6,8,15,20,21). We predicted 5 that more birds would strand when wind speed and cloud cover are high, the wind is blowing onshore, and moon illumination is low.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, we hypothesized that the stranding of storm-petrels at coastal industrial sites is a result of positive phototaxis (8,10,14,23), and we predicted that reducing ALAN by turning off the lights would reduce the number of stranded birds. Second, we hypothesized that environmental conditions influence light exposure and subsequently the amount of storm-petrel strandings around ALAN (6,8,15,20,21). We predicted that more birds would strand when wind speed and cloud cover are high, the wind is blowing onshore, and moon illumination is low.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reduction of coastal lighting decreases seabird strandings

Burt,

Collins,

Green

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Leach’s Storm-Petrels (Hydrobates leucorhous) are small, threatened seabirds with an extensive breeding range in the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans. The Atlantic population, which represents approximately 40 - 48% of the global population, is declining sharply. Positive phototaxis, the movement towards artificial light at night (ALAN), is considered to be a key contributing factor. Many seabirds exhibit positive phototaxis, which can result in stranding on land. The Leach’s Storm-Petrel is the seabird most often found stranded around ALAN in the North Atlantic, though there is little experimental evidence showing that reducing ALAN will decrease the occurrence of stranded storm-petrels. During a two-year study at a large, brightly illuminated seafood processing plant adjacent to the Leach’s Storm-Petrel’s largest colony, we compared the number of birds that stranded when the lights at the plant were turned on versus off. We recorded survival, performed carcass counts of both adults and juveniles, and released any rescued individuals. Turning the lights off reduced strandings by 39.15% (CI: 11.45% - 58.19%). The peak stranding period occurred from 25 September to 28 October, and most of the stranded birds were fledglings. These results provide evidence to support the widespread reduction and modification of coastal artificial light, especially during avian fledging and migration periods.

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Under Cover of Darkness: Refuge from Artificial Light at Night may Mitigate Risks to Stranded Seabirds

Brown,

Baker,

Wilhelm

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Artificial light at night is an anthropogenic pollutant that has wide-ranging effects on wildlife. Fledgling seabirds of the order Procellariiformes exhibit phototaxis toward artificial lights on their first flights from the nest, causing them to become grounded in human settlements where they are subject to increased risk of predation. Limited evidence suggests that certain light types may be less attractive than others, yet there is also evidence for an aversion to light under certain circumstances. We investigated differences in phototactic behaviour, activity level, and shelter-seeking behaviour of grounded Leach's storm-petrel (Hydrobates leucorhous) fledglings exposed to artificial light in three experiments: a Y-maze choice experiment, an open field test, and a modified open field test with a hide box provided ("Safe Haven test"). When provided with combinations of different light types in the Y-maze, storm-petrels typically remained stationary and exhibited no response toward one light type over another. This was consistent with results from the open field test, in which individuals were less active in darkness than when exposed to two out of three light conditions (Warm White Light-Emitting Diode and High Pressure Sodium). More than half of birds entered the hide box in light conditions, compared to none in the dark. Considered together, our results indicate Leach's storm-petrel fledglings exhibit photophobic behaviour after stranding, which may be part of a behavioural strategy to avoid predation. Further, we demonstrate the utility of providing hide boxes to protect stranded seabird fledglings in locations where lighting cannot be eliminated, or where rescue efforts may be limited in spatial or temporal coverage. Hide boxes constitute a novel mitigation measure that merits future testing for its ability to reduce stranding-induced mortality, especially in imperiled procellariiform species.

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Moonlight diminishes seabird attraction to artificial light

Cited by 5 publications

References 29 publications

Small tube-nosed seabirds fledge on the full moon and throughout the lunar cycle

Small tube-nosed seabirds fledge on the full moon and throughout the lunar cycle

Reduction of coastal lighting decreases seabird strandings

Under Cover of Darkness: Refuge from Artificial Light at Night may Mitigate Risks to Stranded Seabirds

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