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Updated: Jun 5, 2026

A Video Surveillance System to Monitor Breeding Colonies of Common Terns (Sterna Hirundo)
Published on: July 22, 2018
Long-term population studies of seabirds
R D Wooller1, J S Bradley, J P Croxall
1R.D. Wooller and J.S. Bradley are at the School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Murdoch University, Western Australia 6150, Australia.
Abstract:
Long-term studies of seabirds, some now 30-40 years old, have begun to reveal significant age-related changes in the survival and reproduction o f these long-lived animals. Evidence for density-dependent regulation of seabird numbers, however, remains sparse whereas unpredictable, disastrous breeding years may be an important influence. Critical evaluation will require better data on (1) the extent of movements of seabirds between colonies, (2) the characteristics of those individuals that contribute disproportionately to the next generation, and (3) the importance of year and/or cohort effects on population processes.
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