04/04/2018
Recently published research
in The Auk: Ornithological Advances has
suggested that the root of Common
Tern declines
across North America is to be found on their wintering grounds.
As well as being ubiquitous on
larger water bodies across Eurasia, Common is the most widespread tern species
in North America. However, its breeding colonies in the interior of this latter
continent have been in decline for decades, despite conservation efforts. The
problem in part has been assumed to lie on the species’ wintering grounds, and
a new study has presented information on where the species goes when it
leaves North America each autumn.
The University of Minnesota’s
Annie Bracey and her colleagues attached geolocators – small devices that
record a bird’s location over time based on day length – to 106 terns from
breeding colonies in Manitoba, Ontario, Minnesota, Wisconsin and New York
State. When the birds returned to their breeding grounds in the following
years, the researchers were able to recapture and retrieve data from 46 birds.
No comments:
Post a Comment