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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 11, 2025

A Video Surveillance System to Monitor Breeding Colonies of Common Terns Sterna Hirundo

A Video Surveillance System to Monitor Breeding Colonies of Common Terns Sterna Hirundo

Published on: July 22, 2018

Active breeding seabirds prospect alternative breeding colonies.

Jelena Kralj¹, Aurore Ponchon², Daniel Oro³

¹Institute of Ornithology, CASA, Gundulićeva 24, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia. jkralj@hazu.hr.

|February 6, 2023

Summary

Prospecting for future breeding sites by actively breeding birds is common, occurring in most studied gull and tern species. This behavior was more frequent in populations with shifting sites and among females, challenging existing ecological theories.

Keywords:

Behavioural ecology Dispersal Gulls Movements Terns Tracking devices

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Animal Behavior
Ornithology

Background:

Prospecting behavior, where adult animals seek future breeding sites, is often overlooked in animal movement studies.
This behavior significantly impacts breeding site selection, individual fitness, and lifetime reproductive success.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of prospecting behavior in actively breeding gulls and terns.
To compare observed prospecting patterns with predictions from theoretical models.

Main Methods:

Analysis of movement data from 31 satellite- and GPS-tracked gull and tern populations.
Inclusion of 14 species across Europe and North America.

Main Results:

Prospecting was observed in 85.7% of the species and 61.3% of the populations studied.
Prospecting behavior was more prevalent in populations experiencing frequent annual breeding site changes.
Females exhibited prospecting behavior more frequently than males.

Conclusions:

The findings challenge theoretical models suggesting prospecting evolves in stable environments.
Further long-term tracking studies are necessary to understand prospecting drivers and fitness consequences across diverse environments.