SummarySeabirds face a diverse array of threats and are considered to comprise one of the most threatened avian groups globally. Development of appropriate conservation action requires a knowledge of the marine distribution of seabirds, furnished either by tracking the movements of individuals, or from at-sea surveys. Obtaining information on the distribution of the smallest seabird species, the storm-petrels Hydrobatidae, is challenging, but the recent development of <1 g GPS tracking tags now enables high-precision tracking and this study reports the first multi-year high-precision tracking of European Storm-petrels Hydrobates pelagicus from their largest UK breeding colony. A total of 42 successful tag deployments were made over four breeding seasons during incubation, brooding and post-brood phases, and there was no evidence of adverse impacts on adult body mass or nest survival rates. Foraging trips lasted between one and three days and ranged up to 397 km from the colony (median = 159 km). Foraging range and total distance covered were positively correlated with trip duration but did not differ across breeding stages. Storm-petrels did not feed to the west of the colony at the edge of the continental shelf where high concentrations have been reported in previous decades from boat surveys, but rather, foraging was restricted to shallow waters south of the colony, consistent across individuals, breeding stages and years. Two areas were identified that exceed the threshold criteria for marine Important Bird Area status and should be considered for statutory protection. The home range estimated across all three breeding stages overlapped with 206 active hydrocarbon wells and 14 operating platforms which represent potential threats as sources of surface pollution or through attraction of birds to gas flares. Improved understanding of the foraging distribution of storm-petrels from this protected colony greatly assists the identification of potential threats and informs appropriate marine spatial planning.

中文翻译：

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GPS 跟踪揭示了欧洲风暴海燕 Hydrobates pelagicus 在英国最大的殖民地高度一致地使用限制觅食区：对保护管理的影响

摘要海鸟面临着各种各样的威胁，被认为是全球受威胁最严重的鸟类之一。制定适当的保护行动需要了解海鸟的海洋分布，通过跟踪个体的活动或通过海上调查提供。获取最小的海鸟物种风暴海燕Hydrobatidae的分布信息具有挑战性，但最近开发的<1 g GPS跟踪标签现在可以实现高精度跟踪，本研究报告了第一个多年高精度跟踪欧洲风暴海燕远洋海藻来自他们最大的英国繁殖地。在孵化、育雏和育雏后的四个繁殖季节中，总共进行了 42 次成功的标签部署，没有证据表明对成年体重或巢穴存活率有不利影响。觅食之旅持续一到三天，距离殖民地长达 397 公里（中位数 = 159 公里）。觅食范围和总覆盖距离与旅行持续时间呈正相关，但在繁殖阶段没有差异。风暴海燕并没有在大陆架边缘的殖民地西部觅食，过去几十年来船只调查报告了高浓度，但觅食仅限于殖民地南部的浅水区，在个体之间是一致的，繁殖阶段和年份。确定了两个区域超过了海洋重要鸟类区域状态的阈值标准，应考虑进行法定保护。在所有三个繁殖阶段估计的家庭范围与 206 口活跃的碳氢化合物井和 14 个操作平台重叠，这些平台代表了作为地表污染源或通过吸引鸟类进入气体火炬的潜在威胁。更好地了解来自这个受保护殖民地的风暴海燕的觅食分布，极大地有助于识别潜在威胁并为适当的海洋空间规划提供信息。在所有三个繁殖阶段估计的家庭范围与 206 口活跃的碳氢化合物井和 14 个操作平台重叠，这些平台代表了作为地表污染源或通过吸引鸟类进入气体火炬的潜在威胁。更好地了解来自这个受保护殖民地的风暴海燕的觅食分布，极大地有助于识别潜在威胁并为适当的海洋空间规划提供信息。在所有三个繁殖阶段估计的家庭范围与 206 口活跃的碳氢化合物井和 14 个操作平台重叠，这些平台代表了作为地表污染源或通过吸引鸟类进入气体火炬的潜在威胁。更好地了解来自这个受保护殖民地的风暴海燕的觅食分布，极大地有助于识别潜在威胁并为适当的海洋空间规划提供信息。