Inter-breeding movements of little auks Alle alle reveal a key post-breeding staging area in the Greenland Sea

• Published in: Polar Biology
• Main Authors: Mosbech, Anders, Johansen, Kasper, Harding, Ann M.A., Bech, Nikolaj, Lyngs, Peter, Egevang, Carsten, Fort, Jérôme
• Other Authors: Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University Aarhus, Department of Biological Sciences, Aarhus University, Alaska Pacific University, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources (GINR), Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD France-Sud )-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2011
• Subjects: [SDV.EE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology; environment; Greenland; Alle alle; East Greenland; Greenland Sea; Newfoundland; Polar Biology
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-01100452; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-011-1064-4

International audience Seabirds are important components in marine ecosystems. However, knowledge of their ecology and spatial distribution during the non-breeding season is poor. More investigations during this critical period are required urgently, as marine environments are expected to be profoundly affected by climate change and human activities, with both direct and indirect consequences for marine top predators. Here, we studied the distribution of little auks (Alle alle), one of the most abundant seabird species worldwide. We found that after the breeding season, birds from East Greenland quickly travelled north-east to stay for several weeks within a restricted area in the Greenland Sea. Activity patterns indicated that diving behaviour wasmuch reduced during this period, suggesting that this is the primary moulting region for little auks. Birds then performed a southerly migration to overwinter off Newfoundland. These preliminary results provide important information for the conservation of this species and emphasisethe need for further studies at a larger spatial scale.