Seabird Tracking and Movement

Painting by Trysen Kaneshige

ARC undertakes a wide range of tracking projects focused on seabirds, as well as the nene (see Mānā Plains Nēnē Project!).  For seabirds, we have undertaken tracking projects on ʻaʻo (Newell’s Shearwater), ʻuaʻu (Hawaiian Petrel), ʻakeʻake (Band-rumped Storm-petrel), Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, Laysan Albatross and Black-footed Albatross. We use a wide range of tracking devices, ranging from GLS tags and PIT tags to data loggers and satellite tags.

ʻakeʻake (Band-rumped storm petrel)

Data from these tracking projects allows us to answer a wide range of conservation and management questions, much of which has subsequently been published in the scientific literature.  Notable results include:

• Identification of core foraging areas during the breeding season for breeding pairs of ʻaʻo and ʻuaʻu

• Identification of the first wintering grounds of fledgling ʻaʻo, coupled with an assessment of the post-release survival of fledgling ʻaʻo rescued and released by a rehabilitation project - view

• Identification of the first wintering grounds of fledgling ʻuaʻu - view

• Using tracking technology to locate previously unknown breeding colonies of ʻuaʻu - view

• Identification of key transit routes for endangered seabirds moving in and out of their montane colonies on Kaua’i to help identify critical powerline collision hotspots.

Map showing tracking data highlighting key foraging areas for breeding ʻuaʻu on Kauaʻi

On-going projects include:

• Long-term tracking projects for ʻaʻo and ʻuaʻu

• Assessment of first wintering grounds for fledgling Wedge-tailed Shearwaters

• Assessment of key foraging areas for Laysan and Black-footed Albatross as part of a multi-island assessment spear-headed by Oikonos

• Identification of key foraging areas for Band-rumped Storm-petrels across the Hawaiian Islands