Tracking data spanning a decade reveal contrasting foraging trips between Yelkouan Shearwaters on Malta Learn more about this research in the latest blog post by @martinaustad.bsky.social of @birdlifemalta.bsky.social ➡️ tinyurl.com/shearwaters-... Read the full paper ➡️ tinyurl.com/MarBioAustad

Tracking data spanning a decade reveal contrasting foraging trips between Yelkouan Shearwaters on Malta - Seabird Tracking Database

Yelkouan Shearwaters Puffinus yelkouan are endemic to the Mediterranean and Black Sea, and listed as Vulnerable to extinction on the IUCN Red List. Therefore,

tinyurl.com

Thrilled to say the first chapter of my PhD is out today in @ecol-evol.bsky.social! We used buccal swabbing & DNA metabarcoding to explore the diet of Fulmars & Manx shearwaters 🧬🐧 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Advancing Seabird Diet Studies Through Buccal Swabbing for DNA Metabarcoding

Determining the diet of wide-ranging, pelagic seabirds is challenging. In this study, we investigated buccal swabbing and DNA metabarcoding to describe the diet of Manx shearwaters (Puffinus puffinus....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

What a 2025 it has been for the Seabird Tracking Database, some highlights in the image! 📈 See our latest blog post for even more details➡️ www.seabirdtracking.org/seabird-trac... A massive thank you to the 363 seabird researchers who have contributed their data over the last 21 years 🐧🌊🌏

How does chick-rearing affect fledging success in Yelkouan shearwaters? Proxies for diet varied between colonies, while fledglings grounded on first flight were more likely to have been poorly fed. Published in Marine Biology: doi.org/10.1007/s002... Funding by @dornitholges.bsky.social and EU LIFE

BirdLife Malta’s latest PR addresses misleading claims by FKNK on Turtle-dove recovery. While FKNK cites limited data to suggest improvement EU experts continue to call for zero harvest along the Central-Eastern flyway which includes Malta. A 37% long-term decline in breeding pairs cannot be ignored

BirdLife Malta@birdlifemalta.bsky.social · last yr.

EU experts urge caution but FKNK spreads false optimism on Turtle-doves while pushing to keep hunting. Read more here: birdlifemalta.org/2025/06/eu-e...

Excited to share this paper on shearwater diets in the Mediterranean! link.springer.com/article/10.1... Thanks to a great team, Lucie Michel and co-authors including @fdepa1.bsky.social @jgcecere.bsky.social , part-funding by @dornitholges.bsky.social, @hannahpepe.bsky.social for the post graphics!

BirdLife Malta@birdlifemalta.bsky.social · last yr.

A new study (link.springer.com/article/10.1...) compares the diets of Scopoli’s and Yelkouan shearwaters. Despite a wide diet, a few pelagic fish species stood out. Protection of spawning areas and selective fishing are needed for shearwaters and fisheries to co-exist in the region.

Bottom trawling is horribly destructive to coastal ocean ecosystems, and deep-sea mining will do the same to the open ocean. #OceanFilm 🌊

The Yelkouan Shearwater (Garnija) depends on the dark to safely return to its nests along our precious Maltese cliffs. Martin Austad from BirdLife Malta's seabird team explains how light pollution is disrupting this species and why urgent action is needed. #KeepCliffsDark

Seabird Team's Field Update Exciting news from last Friday's fieldwork! The first egg of the 2025 season has been discovered at the Yelkouan Shearwater colonies! A promising start for this year's breeding season. #SeabirdConservation #YelkouanShearwater #LifePanPuffinus #BirdLifeMalta