DOCSLIB.ORG

New Zealand Albatross and Petrel Research and Monitoring Priorities Workshop

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
New Zealand Albatross and Petrel Research and Monitoring Priorities Workshop New Zealand albatross and petrel research and monitoring priorities workshop National Museum of New Zealand- Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington 11 August 2012 By Kerry-Jayne Wilson1 & John Croxall2 1 P.O. Box 70, Charleston 7865, West Coast, New Zealand. 2 Birdlife International, Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, Cambridge CB3 0NA, UK Outline Introduction and background Introduction Aims Participants (Annex 1) Source material Recommendations and conclusions 1. Taxonomic matters 2. ACAP species breeding in New Zealand 2.1 Land-based issues; population status, trends, monitoring, demography. 2.2 Distribution at sea (Tracking) 2.3 At-sea issues (Bycatch) 3. Non-ACAP species 3.1Conservation Services Programme 3.2 Recreational fishing impacts 3.3 Regional surveys 3.4 Burrow breeding petrel surveys 3.5 Eradication of mammals from islands 3.6 Translocation of petrels 3.7 Fisheries and non-ACAP species 3.8 Climate and sea temperature change 4. Outreach, engagement and capacity building 4.1 Albatross and petrel symposium 4.2 Community groups 5. Other issues 6. Annexes Annex 1 List of participants Annex 2 List of species under consideration Annex 3 Pre-workshop discussion powerpoint document Introduction and background Introduction New Zealand is the country with the greatest number of breeding and globally threatened species of albatrosses and petrels. Despite this, New Zealand seabirds have received less attention than their terrestrial counterparts for both research and conservation. With climate change and increasing pressure on the New Zealand marine environment and on the Southern Ocean, greater understanding of the ecology of albatrosses and petrels can help us understand and address the changes that are occurring. To date much of the research undertaken has been reactive rather than proactive. Both research and management has concentrated on critically endangered species and those known to be at risk from fisheries interactions, there have been few studies of more common species and there has been little recent fundamental research on New Zealand seabirds. Our national resources are clearly insufficient to meet the all the monitoring, research and management required for the conservation of all species, let alone undertaking more fundamental research that addresses issues in marine ecology or climate change. Currently there is no clear national strategy, to guide the prioritisation of available resources or to best utilise international funding opportunities and visiting researchers. The aim of this workshop was to help develop national strategies for albatross and petrel research and conservation in the New Zealand region. The workshop was species-focused, seeking to identify those species where monitoring, research or management is most urgently required or most usefully undertaken. The workshop sought to identify those actions that are essential to ensure the survival, persistence and/or recovery of the species concerned and those species, threatened or non- threatened, that could provide useful insights into marine ecology and climate change. In the time available it was impossible to cover all such topics in sufficient detail. For the purposes of this workshop we have followed the taxonomy used in Gill et al (2010)1. This differs in some respects from that used by the Department of Conservation and by the Birdlife International World Bird Database. In this workshop we only considered those populations breeding on islands under New Zealand jurisdiction. The workshop was facilitated by; 1 Gill, B.J. ET AL. 2010, Checklist of the birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica. Te Papa Press. John Croxall (BirdLife International (manages IUCN Red List and published recent review of global conservation priorities for seabirds; ex southern hemisphere seabird researcher) and Kerry-Jane Wilson (independent NZ researcher and author of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand 2006 report on State of NZ seabirds). Researchers and conservation managers who are currently or recently involved in work with New Zealand albatrosses or petrels were invited to take part. This report will be sent to Department of Conservation, Fisheries division of the Ministry for Primary Industries and other key stakeholders. The workshop was sponsored by the Australasian Seabird Group with meeting facilities provided free of charge by the National Museum of New Zealand - Te Papa Tongarewa. Aims To contribute to the development and implementation of a national strategy for seabird research, monitoring and conservation by: a) identifying some priority actions for albatross and petrel research, monitoring and management; b) suggesting ways to improve coordination and collaboration between New Zealand seabird researchers and between researchers, managers and administrators. Participants A list of participants is attached as Annex 1. Source materials 1. List of taxa under consideration, together with their national and international threat status (Annex 2). 2. BirdLife International Species Factsheets for all species of albatross and petrel breeding in New Zealand with IUCN Red List status as globally threatened or near-threatened (sourced from www.birdlife.org/datazone/species in July 2012). 3. Taylor, G. 2000. Action Plan for Seabird Conservation in New Zealand. Threatened Species Occasional Publication Nos 16 & 17. Department of Conservation, Wellington. http://www.doc.govt.nz/upload/documents/science-and-technical/TSOP16.pdf 4. Wilson, K-J. The State of New Zealand’s birds 2006; Special report New Zealand’s seabirds. http://osnz.org.nz/publications/The%20State%20of%20New%20Zealand%20Birds 5. Rowe, S. and Taylor, G. 2006. New Zealand Seabird Priorities 2006 – 2011. Department of Conservation, Wellington. 6. Croxall et al. 2012. Seabird conservation status, threats and priority actions: a global assessment. Bird Conservation International 22 (1) 1-34. 7. New Zealand Albatross and petrel priorities workshop, powerpoint document prepared to summarise background information and focus discussion (Annex 3) Recommendations and conclusions 1. Taxonomic matters A number of taxonomic issues had been raised prior to the workshop by Alan Tennyson with subsequent comment on these by Paul Scofield and John Croxall. These issues and comments are shown in slides 3-5 of Annex 3. The priorities determined by the workshop (within each section species are listed in priority order) are to investigate the: 1. Status of New Zealand taxa that are potentially cryptic endemic species; these are: a) Kermadec Storm Petrel, b) the Codfish Island population of South Georgian Diving Petrel; c) southern and northern populations of Cook’s Petrel (in progress, with translocations maintaining separation of the two populations); d) Grey-faced Petrel (in progress, NZ and Australian taxa probably different). 2. Status of New Zealand taxa that are potentially cryptic endemic or near-endemic species in taxon complexes where New Zealand would have a logical lead role: a) White-bellied Storm Petrels in South Pacific, b) the Fulmar/Fairy Prion complex (genetic analysis begun, more samples required); c) Little Shearwater complex in the South Pacific; d) White-faced Storm Petrels complex; e) Cape Petrel complex. 3. Taxa where New Zealand material is highly relevant to any global/regional review: a) White- capped Albatross, (different fishing threats to NZ and Australian taxa but treated as a single entity for bycatch analysis); b) Pterodroma petrels; c) Common Diving Petrel complex; d) Wedge-tailed Shearwater. 4. The New Zealand population of White-chinned Petrel (for which the name Procellaria aequinoctialis steadi is available) has been shown to differ from other White-chinned Petrels genetically but unpublished morphological data are not entirely in accord with this and it was not given separate taxonomic ranking by the OSNZ checklist committee. Given the threat bycatch poses to White-chinned Petrels there is urgent need to review the taxonomy of the New Zealand populations. A request was made that BirdLife International circulate the New Zealand seabird community, initially via the workshop attendees, with the annual list of seabird taxa whose status is to be investigated by BirdLife’s Taxonomic Working Group, in order that appropriate materials and comments may be contributed to their assessment. Greater interaction between Birdlife and New Zealand researchers on status and taxonomic matters would be mutually beneficial. 2 ACAP species breeding in New Zealand New Zealand has ninety-two populations of 16 ACAP species, 10 of which are endemic. This is more than any other jurisdiction yet New Zealand’s contribution to the conservation, management and research of ACAP species fails to reflect the importance of the New Zealand region to these threatened species. Indeed New Zealand’s contribution to research on these and other seabirds is significantly less than that of many other ACAP signatories. Table 1. Species/island group combinations that comprise at least 5% of global populations for which there have been no monitoring in the last 20 and 10 years, New Zealand populations in bold.2 Species/Island Groups Light-mantled Albatross (Kerguelen/40.2%/1987) (>5% global population) Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross (Crozet/17.9%/1984) no population data in last 20 years (1991-2010) Northern Giant Petrel (Kerguelen/14.9%/1987) White-chinned Petrel (Auckland I./9.4%/1988) Grey-headed Albatross (Kerguelen/8.4%/1985) Grey-headed Albatross (Crozet/6.3%/1982) Species/Island
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Campbell Island Seabirds: Operation Endurance November 2019
    Rexer-Huber et al. 2020 Campbell seabirds Campbell Island seabirds: Operation Endurance November 2019 Kalinka Rexer-Huber, Kevin A. Parker, Graham C. Parker April 2020 Department of Conservation, Marine Species and Threats project BCBC 2019-03: Campbell Island Seabird Research 1 Rexer-Huber et al. 2020 Campbell seabirds Campbell Island seabirds: Operation Endurance November 2019 Final report to Department of Conservation, Marine Species and Threats April 2020 Kalinka Rexer-Huber 1*, Kevin A. Parker 2 & Graham C. Parker 1 1 Parker Conservation, 126 Maryhill Terrace, Dunedin, New Zealand 2 Parker Conservation, PO Box 130, Warkworth 0941, New Zealand * Corresponding author: [email protected] Please cite as: Rexer-Huber K., Parker K.A., Parker G.C. 2020. Campbell Island seabirds: Operation Endurance November 2019. Final report to Marine Species and Threats, Department of Conservation. Parker Conservation, Dunedin. 23 p. 2 Rexer-Huber et al. 2020 Campbell seabirds Summary Seabird population monitoring and survey on Campbell Island was enabled via Operation Endurance in November 2019. Specific objectives were to collect photo-point and ground-truthing data at Campbell and grey-headed albatross colonies, repeat whole-island counts of breeding Northern giant petrels, collect GLS trackers from Southern royal albatrosses, use sound recorders to record burrowing petrel distribution and check the bands of all banded birds seen. Photo-points for Campbell albatross and grey-headed albatross (Thalassarche impavida and T. chrysostoma) were revisited to take a new set of photographs for population monitoring. These photo-points have been used for counts since 1987, but some colonies have been photographed since the 1940s.
    [Show full text]
  • University of Cape Town
    The effects of introduced mice on seabirds breeding at sub-Antarctic Islands Ben J. Dilley Thesis presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Town FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology DST/NRF Centre of Excellence Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science University of CapeCape Town of June 2018 University Supervised by Professor Peter G. Ryan The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derivedTown from it is to be published without full acknowledgement of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes Capeonly. of Published by the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. University Declaration This thesis reports original research that I conducted under the auspices of the FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town. All assistance received has been fully acknowledged. This work has not been submitted in any form for a degree at another university. ………………….................. Ben J. Dilley Cape Town, June 2018 i A 10 day-old great shearwater Ardenna gravis chick being attacked by an invasive House mouse Mus musculus in an underground burrow on Gough Island in 2014 (photo Ben Dilley). ii Table of Contents Page Abstract ....................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1 General introduction: Islands, mice and seabirds ......................................................... 1 Chapter 2 Clustered or dispersed: testing the effect of sampling strategy to census burrow-nesting petrels with varied distributions at sub-Antarctic Marion Island ...... 13 Chapter 3 Modest increases in densities of burrow-nesting petrels following the removal of cats Felis catus from sub-Antarctic Marion Island ...................................
    [Show full text]
  • Iucn Red Data List Information on Species Listed On, and Covered by Cms Appendices
    UNEP/CMS/ScC-SC4/Doc.8/Rev.1/Annex 1 ANNEX 1 IUCN RED DATA LIST INFORMATION ON SPECIES LISTED ON, AND COVERED BY CMS APPENDICES Content General Information ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 2 Species in Appendix I ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Mammalia ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 4 Aves ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Reptilia ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Pisces .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Grey Petrels Returning to Campbell Island? Survey and Census 14 Years After Rodent Eradication
    Parker et al. 2015 Are grey petrels returning to Campbell Island? Survey and census 14 years after rodent eradication Graham C. Parker, Kalinka Rexer-Huber, David Thompson Report to the Department of Conservation June 2015 __________________________________________________________________________________ Grey petrels, Campbell Island 1 Parker et al. 2015 Are grey petrels returning to Campbell Island? Survey and census 14 years after rodent eradication Report to the Department of Conservation Graham C. Parker 1*, Kalinka Rexer-Huber 1, 3, David Thompson 2 1 Parker Conservation, 126 Maryhill Terrace, Dunedin New Zealand 2 National Institute for Water and Atmosphere (NIWA), 301 Evans Bay Parade, Hataitai, Wellington New Zealand 3 Department of Zoology, University of Otago, 340 Great King Street, Dunedin New Zealand * Author for correspondence: [email protected] Please cite as: Parker, G.C., Rexer-Huber, K. and Thompson, D. 2015. Are grey petrels returning to Campbell Island? Survey and census 14 years after rodent eradication. Unpublished report to the Department of Conservation. Parker Conservation, Dunedin __________________________________________________________________________________ Grey petrels, Campbell Island 2 Parker et al. 2015 Contents Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Evaluating Threats to New Zealand Seabirds Report for the Department of Conservation
    Evaluating threats to New Zealand seabirds Report for the Department of Conservation Authors: Edward Abraham Yvan Richard Katherine Clements PO Box 27535, Wellington 6141 New Zealand dragonfly.co.nz Cover Notes To be cited as: Abraham, Edward; Yvan Richard; Katherine Clements (2016). Evaluating threats to New Zealand seabirds, 19 pages. Report for the Department of Conservation. Crown copyright © This report is licensed for re-use under a Creative Commons Aribution 3.0 New Zealand Licence. This allows you to distribute, use, and build upon this work, provided credit is given to the original source. Cover image: hps://www.flickr.com/photos/4nitsirk/16121373851 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The New Zealand Department of Conservation is developing a seabird threat framework, “to beer understand, and manage, at-sea threats to our seabirds”. This framework will allow the impact of threats on seabird populations to be qualitatively assessed, and will be used to prioritise a programme of seabird population monitoring. As a first stage in developing the framework, a database of demographic parameters and threats was prepared. In this project, a process was estab- lished for reviewing and synthesising this information. The demographic parameters were then used to develop an online tool, which allowed for the impact of changes in parameters on population growth rates to be assessed. In the future, this tool will allow the impact of current and potential threats on seabird populations to be promptly explored. The process was trialled on the 12 albatross taxa recognised
    [Show full text]
  • Procellaria Cinerea) on Antipodes Island, New Zealand
    269 Notornis, 2013, Vol. 60: 269-278 0029-4470 © The Ornithological Society of New Zealand, Inc. Notes on the distribution, behaviour and status of grey petrel (Procellaria cinerea) on Antipodes Island, New Zealand ELIZABETH. A. BELL* PO Box 607, Blenheim, Marlborough 7240, New Zealand BRIAN D. BELL 35 Selmes Road, Rapaura, RD3, Blenheim 7273, New Zealand J. L. SIM 178 C.D. Farm Road, Ohau, New Zealand M.J. IMBER** 6 Hillcrest Lane, Levin 5500, New Zealand Abstract Aspects of the breeding biology of the grey petrel (Procellaria cinerea) were studied on Antipodes Island between April and June 2001. The island was surveyed to determine grey petrel distribution and four 2500 m2 census grids were established. The survey suggested that the distribution of grey petrels was restricted to steep, well-draining areas dominated by Poa litorosa tussock (approximately 510 ha of the 2025 ha island). Occupied burrow density within the 4 census grids ranged from 31 to 44 burrows (0.01 burrows per square metre). Extrapolating from the census grid density to the total grey petrel habitat resulted in a population estimate of 114,730 birds: 53,000 breeding pairs (range = 32,000- 73,000) and 8,670 non-breeding-birds (range = 4,000-16,320) were present on Antipodes Island. Aspects of the behaviour of the species were recorded. Comparisons are made with other members of the genus Procellaria. Bell, E.A.; Bell, B.D.; Sim, J.L.; Imber, M.J. 2013. Notes on the distribution, behaviour and status of grey petrel (Procellaria cinerea) on Antipodes Island, New Zealand.
    [Show full text]
  • Grey Petrel Procellaria Cinerea (Entire Population) in Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
    81 Proposal II / 10 PROPOSAL FOR INCLUSION OF SPECIES ON THE APPENDICES OF THE CONVENTION ON THE CONSERVATION OF MIGRATORY SPECIES OF WILD ANIMALS A. PROPOSAL: Listing of the Grey Petrel Procellaria cinerea (entire population) in Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. B. PROPONENT: Republic of South Africa. C. SUPPORTING STATEMENT 1. Taxon 1.1_ Class Aves 1.2 Order Procellariiformes 1.3 Family Procellariidae 1.4 Genus & Species Procellaria cinerea (Gmelin, 1789) 1.5 Common names English: Grey Petrel, Gray Petrel, Brown Petrel, Great Grey Shearwater, Pediunker French: Puffin gris German: Grausturmvogel Spanish: Pardela gris 2. Biological data 2.1 Distribution Circumpolar pelagic range in the Southern Ocean, primarily in southern cool-temperate and sub- Antarctic waters north of the Antarctic Polar Front between 32-58S. Reaches South Africa and the Pacific coast of South America as far north as Peru. Breeds on southern cool- temperate and sub-Antarctic islands (Table 1). Previously bred on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island (Australia), but was extirpated by introduced Wekas Gallirallus australis, feral cats Felis catus and Black Rats Rattus rattus. 2.2 Population No accurate censuses of breeding numbers, and therefore of trends, exist for this burrowing species at any breeding locality. Best estimates are given in Table 1. Table 1. Estimates of breeding populations of Grey Petrels Procellaria cinerea Locality Administrative Nature Reserve Population Year authority status (breeding pairs) Tristan da Cunha Islands United Kingdom Yes (part) 50-100 (Tristan) 1972/74 Gough Island United Kingdom Yes 100 000s 1984 Prince Edward Islands South Africa Yes 1000s 1984 Ile Amsterdam France Yes (part) Few suspected 1983 Iles Crozet France Yes (part) 1000s 1981/82 Iles Kerguelen France Yes (part) 5000-10 000 1984-87 Campbell & Antipodes New Zealand Yes 10 000-50 000 1984 Islands 82 Proposal II / 10 2.3 Habitat Marine, in southern coastal and pelagic waters.
    [Show full text]
  • Energetics and Morphometrics of Non-Breeding Albatrosses Henry Battam University of Wollongong
    University of Wollongong Research Online University of Wollongong Thesis Collection University of Wollongong Thesis Collections 2010 Energetics and morphometrics of non-breeding albatrosses Henry Battam University of Wollongong Recommended Citation Battam, Henry, Energetics and morphometrics of non-breeding albatrosses, Doctor of Philosophy thesis, University of Wollongong. School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, 2010. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/3245 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact Manager Repository Services: [email protected]. Thesis Certification CERTIFICATION I, Henry Battam, declare that this thesis, submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy, in the School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, is wholly my own work unless otherwise referenced or acknowledged. The document has not been submitted for qualifications at any other academic institution. Henry Battam 27 August 2010 Energetics and Morphometrics of non‐ breeding albatrosses A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree Doctor of Philosophy from UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG by Henry Battam B.E. (Hons) School of Biological Sciences 2010 Abstract The synchronous catastrophic mortality in the semelparous cuttlefish (Sepia apama), is an annual winter event in the coastal waters of southern Australia. This creates an abundant food resource that attracts large numbers of
    [Show full text]
  • Action Plan for Seabird Conservation in New Zealand Part B: Non-Threatened Seabirds
    Action Plan for Seabird Conservation in New Zealand Part B: Non-Threatened Seabirds THREATENED SPECIES OCCASIONAL PUBLICATION NO. 17 Action Plan for Seabird Conservation in New Zealand Part B: Non-Threatened Seabirds THREATENED SPECIES OCCASIONAL PUBLICATION NO. 17 by Graeme A. Taylor Published by Biodiversity Recovery Unit Department of Conservation PO Box 10-420 Wellington New Zealand Illustrations Front cover: Northern diving petrel, North Brothers Island, 1998 Inside front cover: Brown skua, Campbell Island, 1986 Source of illustrations All photographs were taken by the author unless stated otherwise. © May 2000, Department of Conservation ISSN 1170-3709 ISBN 0-478-21925-3 Cataloguing in Publication Taylor, Graeme A. Action plan for seabird conservation in New Zealand. Part B, Non-threatened seabirds / by Graeme A. Taylor. Wellington, N.Z. : Dept. of Conservation, Biodiversity Recovery Unit, 2000. 1. v. ; 30 cm. (Threatened Species occasional publication, 1170-3709 ; 17.) Cataloguing-in-Publication data. - Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0478219253 1. Sea birds— New Zealand. 2. Rare birds—New Zealand. I. New Zealand. Biodiversity Recovery Unit. II. Title. Series: Threatened species occasional publication ; 17. 236 CONTENTS PART A: THREATENED SEABIRDS Abbreviations used in Parts A and B 7 Abstract 9 1 Purpose 11 2 Scope and limitations 12 3 Sources of information 12 4 General introduction to seabirds 13 4.1 Characteristics of seabirds 14 4.2 Ecology of seabirds 14 4.3 Life history traits of seabirds 15 5 New Zealand seabirds
    [Show full text]
  • BYC-08 INF J(A) ACAP: Update on the Conservation Status
    INTER-AMERICAN TROPICAL TUNA COMMISSION SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE NINTH MEETING La Jolla, California (USA) 14-18 May 2018 DOCUMENT BYC-08 INF J(a) UPDATE ON THE CONSERVATION STATUS, DISTRIBUTION AND PRIORITIES FOR ALBATROSSES AND LARGE PETRELS Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) and BirdLife International 1. STATUS AND TRENDS OF ALBATROSSES AND PETRELS Seabirds are amongst the most globally-threatened of all groups of birds, and conservation issues specific to albatrosses and large petrels led to drafting of the multi-lateral Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP). A review of the conservation status and priorities for albatrosses and large petrels was recently published in Biological Conservation (Phillips et al. 2016). There are currently 31 species listed in Annex 1 of the Agreement. Of these, 21 (68%) are classified at risk of extinction, a stark contrast to the overall rate of 12% for the 10,694 bird species worldwide (Croxall et al. 2012, Gill & Donsker 2017). Of the 22 species of albatrosses listed by ACAP, three are listed as Critically Endangered (CR), six are Endangered (EN), six are Vulnerable (VU), six are Near Threatened (NT), and one is of Least Concern (LC). Of the nine petrel species, one is listed as CR, one as EN, four as VU, one as NT and two species as LC. The population trends of ACAP species over the last twenty years (since the mid-1990s) were re-examined in 2017 by the ACAP Population and Conservation Status Working Group (PaCSWG). Thirteen ACAP species (42%) are currently showing overall population declines.
    [Show full text]
  • Wetland Aliens Cause Bird Extinction
    PRESS RELEASE Embargoed until 00:01 GMT on 26 May 2010 Wetland aliens cause bird extinction Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK, 26 May, 2010 (IUCN/BirdLife) - BirdLife International announces today, in an update to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for birds, the extinction of Alaotra Grebe Tachybaptus rufolavatus. Restricted to a tiny area of east Madagascar, this species declined rapidly after carnivorous fish were introduced to the lakes in which it lived. This, along with the use of nylon gill-nets by fisherman which caught and drowned birds, has driven this species into the abyss. “No hope now remains for this species. It is another example of how human actions can have unforeseen consequences”, says Dr Leon Bennun, BirdLife International’s Director of Science, Policy and Information. “Invasive alien species have caused extinctions around the globe and remain one of the major threats to birds and other biodiversity.” Another wetland species suffering from the impacts of introduced aliens is Zapata Rail Cyanolimnas cerverai from Cuba. It has been uplisted to Critically Endangered and is under threat from introduced mongooses and exotic catfish. An extremely secretive marsh-dwelling species, the only nest ever found of this species was described by James Bond, a Caribbean ornithologist and the source for Ian Fleming’s famous spy’s name. And it’s not just aliens. Wetlands the world over, and the species found in them, are under increasing pressures. In Asia and Australia, numbers of once common wader species such as Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris and Far Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis are dropping rapidly as a result of drainage and pollution of coastal wetlands.
    [Show full text]
  • SYN Seabird Curricul
    Seabirds 2017 Pribilof School District Auk Ecological Oregon State Seabird Youth Network Pribilof School District Ram Papish Consulting University National Park Service Thalassa US Fish and Wildlife Service Oikonos NORTAC PB i www.seabirdyouth.org Elementary/Middle School Curriculum Table of Contents INTRODUCTION . 1 CURRICULUM OVERVIEW . 3 LESSON ONE Seabird Basics . 6 Activity 1.1 Seabird Characteristics . 12 Activity 1.2 Seabird Groups . 20 Activity 1.3 Seabirds of the Pribilofs . 24 Activity 1.4 Seabird Fact Sheet . 26 LESSON TWO Seabird Feeding . 31 Worksheet 2.1 Seabird Feeding . 40 Worksheet 2.2 Catching Food . 42 Worksheet 2.3 Chick Feeding . 44 Worksheet 2.4 Puffin Chick Feeding . 46 LESSON THREE Seabird Breeding . 50 Worksheet 3.1 Seabird Nesting Habitats . .5 . 9 LESSON FOUR Seabird Conservation . 63 Worksheet 4.1 Rat Maze . 72 Worksheet 4.2 Northern Fulmar Threats . 74 Worksheet 4.3 Northern Fulmars and Bycatch . 76 Worksheet 4.4 Northern Fulmars Habitat and Fishing . 78 LESSON FIVE Seabird Cultural Importance . 80 Activity 5.1 Seabird Cultural Importance . 87 LESSON SIX Seabird Research Tools and Methods . 88 Activity 6.1 Seabird Measuring . 102 Activity 6.2 Seabird Monitoring . 108 LESSON SEVEN Seabirds as Marine Indicators . 113 APPENDIX I Glossary . 119 APPENDIX II Educational Standards . 121 APPENDIX III Resources . 123 APPENDIX IV Science Fair Project Ideas . 130 ii www.seabirdyouth.org 1 INTRODUCTION 2017 Seabirds SEABIRDS A seabird is a bird that spends most of its life at sea. Despite a diversity of species, seabirds share similar characteristics. They are all adapted for a life at sea and they all must come to land to lay their eggs and raise their chicks.
    [Show full text]