Seabird study tracks ‘sky pirates’ through British Caribbean Overseas Territories

An
international effort aimed at tracking some of the Caribbean region’s
most important avian predators is under way, thanks to a newly
obtained U.K. Darwin grant provided by the Department for the
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).  

A
small team, including Liverpool University PhD Rhiannon Austin, Milan
University PhD student Federico De Pascalis and Department of
Environment (DoE) Terrestrial Resources Unit Research Officer Jane
Haakonsson placed tracking devices on 26 magnificent frigatebirds
(sometimes called ‘frigates’ or ‘Man-o-wars’), located at the
Booby Pond Colony in Little Cayman.

The
initial tagging effort took place in March and April and the live
tracks of the birds' foraging trips are already being streamed into
an online bank of data. The tracking devices last up to nine months
and tagging efforts will continue through July.

“Seabirds,
as apex avian predators, are effective indicators of marine
biodiversity hotspots and ocean health,” said Ms. Haakonsson. “This
study will help us track the frigatebirds over long distances, so we
can learn, among other things, whether they have established
connections between bird colonies in the region. Such data on
ecosystem connectivity is important to inform resource managers.”

Ecosystem
connectivity is the functional links between ecosystems in different
locations. Connected ecosystems that provide for animal and plant
migration can help sustain natural areas, even if they are close to
human population centres.

The
Darwin-funded project will continue to track both adult and juvenile
magnificent frigatebirds using Global Positioning System
(GPS) -
Global System for Mobile communications (GSM)
loggers from
multiple populations in the Caribbean British Overseas Territories
including Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman
Islands. These data will inform regional-scale marine and coastal
zone management, defining and designating vulnerable wetlands and
marine habitats throughout the Caribbean. 

Scientists will use movement data from Caribbean magnificent frigatebirds to support and help define the need for protected areas onshore, nearshore and offshore that can then be used to support regional conservation management.

IMAGES:

Photo
– Frigate1:
The magnificent frigate bird in full flight over Little Cayman. (Jane
Haakonsson)

Photo
– Frigate 2:
Milan University
PhD student Federico De Pascalis holds a magnificent frigatebird
which is being tagged on Little Cayman as part of a Darwin-funded
research project. (Jane Haakonsson)

Photo
– Frigate 3: A map
showing some of the flight paths of frigatebirds between the Cayman
Islands and the Florida panhandle.