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Life on the edge: The ivory gull – an endangered specialist in the sea-ice

Sea ice has decreased dramatically in recent decades. The ivory gull is one of very few ice-dependent seabird species, and it is thus threatened and red-listed in all countries where it breeds.

New method improves geolocator data processing

Data from all types of geolocators can be processed more easily and more accurately than previously.

Migration strategies in Common Eiders from Svalbard

Light-level geolocators were deployed on female Common Eiders to track their movements during the non-breeding season.

Diet of Northern Gannet chicks in North Norway

Diet data from several colonies in North Norway confirm the Gannet's opportunistic foraging behaviour with herring, mackerel, sandeel and saithe being the main prey brought to chicks. What can the diet tell us about the Gannet response to climate change?

Declining populations of Long-tailed Duck and Common Eider

Breeding- and winter populations of Common Eider along the Norwegian coast are declining, and the same applies for the winter population of Long-tailed duck. A report points to food shortage as one reason behind the decline.

Important wintering area for ivory gull documented

Proximity to seals and polar bears is probably of vital importance.

PCB eliminated from the body through egg laying

But fat burning during incubation and chick-rearing releases more contaminants to the blood in kittiwakes.

Several thousand seabirds drown in Norwegian fisheries annually

And the depth at which the nets are set affects the number of birds captured.

The Svalbard fauna suffers under climate warming

Within 85 years, Svalbard will have the same climatic conditions that Denmark has today, if the current trend continues.

Punctual terns on the wind

As climate is changing, the initiation of breeding has advanced for several bird species. How will climate change affect the spring arrival of Arctic terns to our coasts?

Wintering areas are important

Choice of wintering area is of great importance for population development in Brünnich's guillemots. This is one of the findings in a recent study, which also reveals that Brünnich's guillemot females in many cases migrate quicker and farther away from the colony than males at the end of the breeding season.

Poorer feeding conditions at Hornøya – is it the start of the end for the puffins?

The diet of puffin chicks on Hornøya, North Norway, is changing. In the 1980s, their parents brought them few and large prey items per load, while their diet now consists of many small fish. This is known to negatively affect chick growth and survival in colonies further south, and is a a source of concern.

The further north, the later the breeding

Data from SEAPOP's network of seabird colonies along the Norwegain coast and on Svalbard show that breeding phenology varies a lot between species, and depends on different factors.

Another poor breeding season for Norwegian seabirds

The report from the work on the SEAPOP key sites in 2015 is now published. Many species are struggling with low reproductive rates and population decline, and the estimates of adult survival are also depressing.

This is why nearly all Norwegian seabird colonies are in northern Norway

Why are bird cliffs distributed the way they are? Recent research reveals why seabirds along the Norwegian coast mainly breed in the northern part of the country.

Wind affects incubating eiders

Female common eiders incubate their eggs and chicks for weeks without eating. Does wind, temperature or humidity affect their energy expenditure most?

Non-invasive method for sex identification in ivory gulls

A group of scientists have investigated different methods for sex identification in ivory gulls. This study is not only useful and important – the researchers also found an interesting bias in sex ratios in this threatened seabird species.

Little auk feeding habits on Bjørnøya

Foraging areas, range and habitat of little auks breeding on Bjørnøya (Bear Island) have recently been investigated using GPS devices. Results from the study show that the little auks are more capable of coping with varying environmental conditions than previously assumed.

SEAPOP contributes to circumpolar monitoring plan for seabirds

SEAPOP has contributed considerably to the circumpolar seabird monitoring plan (CSMP) published in 2015. CSMP intends to coordinate all seabird monitoring in the Arctic, and the vision of The Circumpolar Seabird Monitoring Network is to maintain the current biodiversity of Arctic seabird populations and to enhance it where possible.

Low genetic variety in ivory gulls

The ivory gull is an ice-dependent seabird species living in the high Arctic. It is capable of flying thousands of kilometers, either looking for food or migrating to and from its wintering areas. In this study from 2015, researchers take a genetic approach to examining the population structure and spatial distribution pattern of the ivory gull, as well as exploring the roles of natal and breeding dispersal.

Digested plastic not cruicial for uptake of pollutants in northern fulmars

Our oceans are flooded with plastic waste, and some seabirds digest large amounts of plastic that can contain a cocktail of different chemicals. How important is this plastic as a source of pollutants for the birds?

Variations in foraging areas, stress levels and timing of breeding in kittiwakes

In this study reasearchers combined the deployment of GPS devices and the monitoring of breeding parameters and baseline corticosterone levels to investigate the proximate regulation of breeding date in a population of black-legged kittiwake.