Strong winds reduce foraging success in albatrosses.

Area of Science:

• Marine Biology
• Animal Ecology
• Behavioral Ecology

Background:

• Increasing extreme weather events globally necessitate understanding animal responses to environmental changes.
• Albatrosses, though adapted to strong winds, may be negatively impacted by shifts in weather extremes.
• Previous studies show albatrosses avoid storms, but the underlying reasons for this behavior remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of environmental factors (wind speed, rainfall, water clarity, time of day) on albatross foraging activity and success.
• To test the hypothesis that turbulent storm conditions restrict foraging success by reducing prey detectability or accessibility.

Main Methods:

• GPS and immersion loggers tracked 33 wandering and 48 black-browed albatrosses from South Georgia.
• Stomach-temperature loggers recorded ingestions in 19 wandering and 7 black-browed albatrosses.
• Data provided detailed insights into foraging behavior and success rates under various environmental conditions.

Main Results:

• Stormy conditions, characterized by strong winds and heavy rain, reduced foraging profitability for surface-seizing wandering albatrosses.
• The probability of prey capture decreased in strong winds for both wandering and black-browed albatrosses.
• Environmental factors significantly influence the foraging efficiency of these highly adapted seabirds.

Conclusions:

• Even wind-adapted albatross species frequently encounter foraging-limiting conditions due to extreme weather.
• Findings provide context for observed storm avoidance behavior in albatrosses, linking it to reduced foraging success.
• Understanding these responses is crucial for predicting species' vulnerability to climate change.