First insights into Thayer's Gull Larus glaucoides thayeri migratory and overwinter patterns along the Northeast Pacific coast

Investigating the seasonal movements of migratory seabirds is essential to our understanding of their basic life history and conservation needs. Using satellite telemetry, we studied the migration and non-breeding distribution of Thayer's Gulls Larus glaucoides thayeri, a little known North Ame...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine ornithology 2020-04, Vol.48 (1), p.9
Main Authors: Gutowsky, Sarah E, Hipfner, J Mark, Maftei, Mark, Boyd, Sean, Auger-Méthé, Marie, Yurkowski, David J, Mallory, Mark L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic birds
Breeding
Colonies
Conservation
Continental shelves
Distribution
Human population density
Human populations
Laridae
Larus glaucoides
Larus thayeri
Life history
Migrations
Overwintering
Polar environments
Population density
Sea surface
Sea surface temperature
Seabirds
Telemetry
Urban agriculture
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Summary:Investigating the seasonal movements of migratory seabirds is essential to our understanding of their basic life history and conservation needs. Using satellite telemetry, we studied the migration and non-breeding distribution of Thayer's Gulls Larus glaucoides thayeri, a little known North American gull. Four adult birds that were tracked from a colony in the Canadian high Arctic migrated south overland, crossing multiple mountain ranges to arrive at the coast between southeast Alaska and northwest British Columbia. The subsequent wintering distribution differed greatly among individuals which occupied ranges as far north as Yakutat Bay, Alaska (59.7N) and as far south as Monterey Bay, California (36.7N). Gulls spent 62-82% of the overwinter period in waters overlying the inner continental shelf (mean sea surface temperature 8.4-11.7C; mean distance to coast 2.6-8.8 km, mean depth 19-102 m), in areas of generally low human activity. Their remaining time was spent primarily onshore in coastal (15-20%) or inland areas (4-23%) composed of natural vegetated habitat with low human population density. Little time was spent in agricultural (0-5%) or urban (0-1.5%) environments. Our tracking study provides new insights into the basic natural history of this species. This knowledge should help in the development of conservation strategies for the management of Thayer's Gull populations.
ISSN:1018-3337
2074-1235