Seabirds show foraging site and route fidelity but demonstrate flexibility in response to local information

• Published in: Movement Ecology
• Main Authors: Charlotte E. Regan, Maria I. Bogdanova, Mark Newell, Carrie Gunn, Sarah Wanless, Mike P. Harris, Samuel Langlois Lopez, Ella Benninghaus, Mark Bolton, Francis Daunt, Kate R. Searle
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2024
• Subjects: Atlantic puffin; Black-legged kittiwake; Common guillemot; Foraging route fidelity; Foraging trip; Individual foraging site fidelity; Biology (General); QH301-705.5; Black-legged Kittiwake; common guillemot
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-024-00467-9; https://doaj.org/article/bcd469605f1f41f4bf63ef41a14f21eb

Abstract Background Fidelity to a given foraging location or route may be beneficial when environmental conditions are predictable but costly if conditions deteriorate or become unpredictable. Understanding the magnitude of fidelity displayed by different species and the processes that drive or erode it is therefore vital for understanding how fidelity may shape the demographic consequences of anthropogenic change. In particular, understanding the information that individuals may use to adjust their fidelity will facilitate improved predictions of how fidelity may change as environments change and the extent to which it will buffer individuals against such changes. Methods We used movement data collected during the breeding season across eight years for common guillemots, Atlantic puffins, razorbills, and black-legged kittiwakes breeding on the Isle of May, Scotland to understand: (1) whether foraging site/route fidelity occurred within and between years, (2) whether the degree of fidelity between trips was predicted by personal foraging effort, and (3) whether different individuals made more similar trips when they overlapped in time at the colony prior to departure and/or when out at sea suggesting the use of the same local environmental cues or information on the decisions made by con- and heterospecifics. Results All species exhibited site and route fidelity both within- and between-years, and fidelity between trips in guillemots and razorbills was related to metrics of foraging effort, suggesting they adjust fidelity to their personal foraging experience. We also found evidence that individuals used local environmental cues of prey location or availability and/or information gained by observing conspecifics when choosing foraging routes, particularly in puffins, where trips of individuals that overlapped temporally at the colony or out at sea were more similar. Conclusions The fidelity shown by these seabird species has the potential to put them at greater risk in the face of environmental change by driving ...