Electronic tracking technologies revolutionized wildlife ecology, notably for studying the movements of elusive species such as seabirds. Those advances are key to seabird conservation, for example in guiding the design of marine protected areas for this highly threatened group. Tracking data are also boosting scientific understanding of marine ecosystem dynamics in the context of global change. To optimize future tracking efforts, we performed a global assessment of seabird tracking data. We identified and mined 689 seabird tracking studies, reporting on > 28,000 individuals of 216 species from 17 families over the last four decades. We found substantial knowledge gaps, reflecting a historical neglect of tropical seabird ecology, with biases toward species that are heavier, oceanic, and from high-latitude regions. Conservation status had little influence on seabird tracking propensity. We identified 54 threatened species for which we did not find published tracking records, and 19 with very little data. Additionally, much of the existing tracking data are not yet available to other researchers and decision-makers in online databases. We highlight priority species and regions for future tracking efforts. More broadly, we provide guidance toward an ethical, rational, and efficient global tracking program for seabirds, as a contribution to their conservation.

中文翻译：

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迈向全球海鸟追踪战略

电子追踪技术彻底改变了野生动物生态学，特别是在研究海鸟等难以捉摸的物种的运动方面。这些进步是海鸟保护的关键，例如指导为这个高度受威胁的群体设计海洋保护区。跟踪数据还促进了对全球变化背景下海洋生态系统动态的科学理解。为了优化未来的跟踪工作，我们对海鸟跟踪数据进行了全球评估。我们确定并挖掘了 689 项海鸟追踪研究，报告了过去 40 年中来自 17 个科的 216 个物种的 28,000 多名个体。我们发现了巨大的知识差距，反映了历史上对热带海鸟生态的忽视，偏向于较重、海洋和来自高纬度地区的物种。保护状况对海鸟追踪倾向影响不大。我们确定了 54 种受威胁物种，我们没有找到已发布的跟踪记录，还有 19 种数据很少。此外，在线数据库中的许多现有跟踪数据尚不可供其他研究人员和决策者使用。我们强调了未来追踪工作的优先物种和地区。更广泛地说，我们为海鸟的道德、合理和有效的全球追踪计划提供指导，作为对它们保护的贡献。我们强调了未来追踪工作的优先物种和地区。更广泛地说，我们为海鸟的道德、合理和有效的全球追踪计划提供指导，作为对它们保护的贡献。我们强调了未来追踪工作的优先物种和地区。更广泛地说，我们为海鸟的道德、合理和有效的全球追踪计划提供指导，作为对它们保护的贡献。