United States

**Abstract:**

Within all higher organisms, lives a thriving ecosystem of microorganisms including, bacteria, viruses and fungi. These microorganisms are crucial for an animal&#39;s health, nutrition and physiology, playing an important role in digestion, protection against harmful pathogens, secretion and synthesis of essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids. So what microbes colonise the penguin gut and what functional pathways are involved? Previous studies using amplicon sequencing have assisted in the profiling of the microbial community within different penguin species. However, amplicon sequencing is restricted to a specific target region (bacteria, virus, and parasite) and due to the short read length is often unable to identify organisms to the species and genus level. This study used shotgun metagenomics to sequence the microbial community (including viruses) and the associated functional pathways of king, gentoo, macaroni and little penguins. Similar to previous studies species specific differences were observed between the four species. In addition a number of known pathogenic organisms were identified along with known avian and murine DNA viruses that have previously not been observed in penguins and 1 unknown virus. Over 2,600 functional pathways were identified in the study with significant differences between species overserved in approximately 2,000 pathways, with many of these pathways being present in little and macaroni penguins and absent in king and gentoo penguins

**Authors:**

Meagan Dewar¹, John Arnould², Peter Dann³, Phil Trathan⁴, Theo Allnutt⁵

¹Federation University Australia/IPECS, ²Deakin University, ³Phillip Island Nature Parks, ⁴British Antarctic Territory, ⁵Theo Allnutt Bioinformatics

3rd World Seabird Conference

Penguin Microbes

Welcome Seabirders!  

Welcome to Virtual World Seabird Conference 3 - vWSC3! Whether you are in your office or lab, at home, in a coffee shop or bar poaching some wifi, or at a remote field site or research vessel – we are very excited to welcome you to the third ever World Seabird Conference. 

We would like to thank ALL of you for being so patient as WSC3 was scheduled, postponed, rescheduled, revised to virtual, and scheduled again. Throughout all those iterations there was one message that remained perfectly clear – seabirders were eager to meet and share their science. If we could not meet in person then virtual it would have to be, but a 3rd WSC was something everyone wanted. That support and commitment helped the WSU Board of Directors and Member Societies sort through all of the challenges they faced to plan and hold this conference. 

The list of those that need to be thanked is long and, while we plan on recognizing many during the live closing plenary, it is important to do so here in writing as well. 

The Australasian Seabird Group was our Local Host for our plan to meet in Hobart, Tasmania. They invested substantial time and effort to find venues and plan events that we unfortunately were not able to visit. Nonetheless we appreciate their work on behalf of WSC3 and encourage all of you to thank them when you see their members in Gathertown or elsewhere during our virtual meeting. Their willingness to host created the initial excitement for WSC3 and without that our vWSC would not have been possible.

We also wish to thank the Science Program Committee, the Virtual Committee, and the Early Career Scientist Committee for their hard work planning the logistics, events, and schedule for vWSC3. These committees also had to deal with changing parameters and short timelines that made what is always a challenging task even more challenging. The Travel Awards Committee also invested time and effort in developing procedures for awarding travel funds that ultimately would not be implemented. 

Our ability to shift from an in-person to a virtual meeting, and to do so in a way that would be financially feasible, was due to the effective efforts of The International Fundraising Committee and to our financial sponsors. The IFC raised funds to support WSC3 and then, through the good relationships they built with sponsors, ensured we could re-envision how those funds could be used to support a virtual conference that would be affordable and high-quality.

We all owe the WSU Board of Directors and the Representatives of the Member Societies a great deal of thanks. They are the ones who manage the WSU and, for the past 18 months, have had to have a series of challenging meetings and conversations, have had to make a series of difficult choices, have had to do all of that while considering the short- and long-term health of WSU and the World Seabird Conferences, and did this while also managing their own challenges at their day jobs. We are grateful for their diligence, patience, foresight, and throughout all of the meetings, their collegiality. Also – a 6-year term is quite a commitment!

There would not be a WSC3 without a successful WSC1 and WSC2. Thanks go to the Pacific Seabird Group for their support of WSC1 in Victoria, Canada, and to the African Seabird Group for their support of WSC2 in Cape Town, South Africa. In each of these endeavors and for our current conference we were fortunate to work with a dependable and trustworthy partner in Podium Conferences. Michelle Smith and Marischal de Armond have become valued members of our team and have not only helped us plan conferences but have assisted and advised the WSU Chairs and Board on issues above and beyond conference planning. 

As we embark on our vWSC3 week we extend to all of you our thanks for showing up, for being patient, and most importantly for the work you do with seabirds. We are all part of a unique, global community that shares an interest, a fascination, and a passion for birds that make a living in our world’s oceans. We have advanced the science, conservation, and management of seabirds as well the ecosystems they inhabit. We are consistently impressed and motivated by the work you do. 

The WSU formed in 2010 because we saw the need for a global organization to address challenges at a global level. Over the past 11 years WSU has grown, adapted, and evolved to become the community that this week is making vWSC3 a reality. Enjoy the week, appreciate and support the friends and colleagues you have made in the community, and if you see us in a virtual hallway please stop and say hello! 

Thank you for the opportunity to serve all of you and the WSU over the past few years,

Nicholas Carlile, Interim Chair, WSU<br>
Patrick Jodice, 2nd Chair of the WSU<br><br>

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Join us for four days of science, networking and virtual engagement with delegates from around the world!

**Abstract:**

Within all higher organisms, lives a thriving ecosystem of microorganisms including, bacteria, viruses and fungi. These microorganisms are crucial for an animal's health, nutrition and physiology, playing an important role in digestion, protection against harmful pathogens, secretion and synthesis of essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids. So what microbes colonise the penguin gut and what functional pathways are involved? Previous studies using amplicon sequencing have assisted in the profiling of the microbial community within different penguin species. However, amplicon sequencing is restricted to a specific target region (bacteria, virus, and parasite) and due to the short read length is often unable to identify organisms to the species and genus level. This study used shotgun metagenomics to sequence the microbial community (including viruses) and the associated functional pathways of king, gentoo, macaroni and little penguins. Similar to previous studies species specific differences were observed between the four species. In addition a number of known pathogenic organisms were identified along with known avian and murine DNA viruses that have previously not been observed in penguins and 1 unknown virus. Over 2,600 functional pathways were identified in the study with significant differences between species overserved in approximately 2,000 pathways, with many of these pathways being present in little and macaroni penguins and absent in king and gentoo penguins

**Authors:**

Meagan Dewar¹, John Arnould², Peter Dann³, Phil Trathan⁴, Theo Allnutt⁵

¹Federation University Australia/IPECS, ²Deakin University, ³Phillip Island Nature Parks, ⁴British Antarctic Territory, ⁵Theo Allnutt Bioinformatics

poster

**Abstract:**

Seabirds must navigate through wind in search of food, but climate change alters wind regimes. Climate-induced changes in wind have positively impacted wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans), which have evolved to exploit some of the windiest places on earth. However, the effects of changing wind will likely vary according to wing morphology and behaviour, with some species benefitting while others might be at a disadvantage. Northern gannets (Morus bassanus) provide an interesting species in which to study wind effects for a number of reasons. First, in contrast to albatrosses, they have relatively high flight costs and may be adversely affected by strong winds. Second, they plunge-dive from height to catch food, such that strong winds may reduce foraging success. Here we conduct a long-term study (n = 12 years) of the effects of wind on gannet foraging behaviour in the North East Atlantic. We use GPS loggers (n = 335 individuals) to reconstruct foraging trip metrics and ethoinformatics to quantify the amount of time spent performing different behaviours and test how these vary with remotely sensed wind. Overall, we test for the potentially divergent effects of wind on seabird foraging and suggest implications for demographic processes.

**Authors:**

Hannah Meinertzhagen¹, Steve Votier², Matthew Witt¹, Robert Thomas³, Bob Furness⁴, Jason Chapman¹, Beth Clark⁵, Greg Morgan⁶, Lisa Morgan⁶

¹University of Exeter, ²Heriot-Watt University, ³Cardiff University, ⁴MacArthur Green, ⁵BirdLife International, ⁶RSPB

Effects of wind on seabird foraging in the North East Atlantic

**Abstract:**

Marine birds are strongly exposed to weather conditions at sea but to date, few studies have investigated how wind or rainfall impacts time-activity budgets or foraging routines. We used data from GPS and pressure loggers to investigate the effects of wind speed and direction and rainfall on the three-dimensional foraging behaviour of gannets breeding at Bass Rock, Scotland. We found that activity budgets, travel speed and flight heights were all influenced by wind speed and direction. Time spent foraging increased in stronger winds but the birds could compensate for this by decreasing time spent on the water. Travelling flight height decreased with increasing head winds, potentially an additional behavioural buffer against adverse effects of strong headwinds. Rain had no discernible effect on foraging but the behavioural flexibility recorded is likely to be critical to maintaining nest attendance patterns and provisioning rates of chicks across variable environmental conditions encountered at sea.

**Authors:**

Jude Lane¹, Dominick Spracklen¹, Keith Hamer¹

¹University of Leeds

Effects of windscape on three-dimensional foraging behaviour in a wide-ranging marine predator, the northern gannet

**Abstract:**

Wind plays an important role in seabird ecology and evolution, shaping energetic costs at multiple scales. Quantifying those costs has been greatly simplified by the development of small accelerometers that can measure mechanical flight costs. To examine the effect of windscapes at multiple scales, I attached GPS-accelerometers to thick-billed murres, which have high flight costs and are very susceptible to the effect of wind. At short time scales, I show that individual birds alter their wing beat amplitude but not wing beat frequency in response to increased wind, confirming a key prediction from the Pennycuick model. These increased costs meant that air speed was not regulated 1:1 with wind speed, and so flight times increased when flying into head winds at the scale of minutes. At the scale of days, energetic costs were higher during periods of heavy winds, and birds typically avoided flying during those periods. Birds did not appear to use windscapes actively, choosing to alter their time budgets rather than space use in response to wind. Ultimately, this had little impact on chick growth rates as adults buffered the effect of stormy conditions by increasing feeding rates during calm conditions. In conclusion, wind had a strong impact on seabird energetics from the scale of seconds to days but buffered these impacts on their offspring.

**Authors:**

Kyle Elliott¹

¹McGill University

Using accelerometry to understand the effect of windscape from the scale of seconds to days

**Abstract:**

Locating ample food for self-maintenance and reproduction is a key challenge for wild animals, with consequences for individual fitness and population processes. The methods that individuals employ to locate food are partially shaped by environmental conditions that often vary spatio-temporally. In avian species, rain can affect behaviour, impairing senses and increasing energetic costs. However, the consequences of rain on movement behaviour are largely unexplored. We investigated the influence of rainfall on the foraging behaviour of a tropical seabird, the magnificent frigatebird Fregata magnificens. They are highly efficient flyers that can spend long time aloft, tracking environmental conditions to find foraging opportunities. Uniquely among seabirds, frigatebirds lack feather waterproofing and cannot dive nor perch on the water surface. Their foraging behaviour should thus be highly sensitive to the effects of rainfall. We tracked the foraging movements of 33 chick-rearing adults from a population in the Cayman Islands, central Caribbean. We firstly investigated whether foraging individuals avoided areas with high rainfall. We then assessed the broad-scale effects of rainfall on trip characteristics. Finally, we investigated fine-scale behavioural responses to local variation in rainfall, using Hidden Markov models that accounted for possible confounding effects of wind speed. Frigatebirds did not avoid areas with high rainfall during foraging trips, nor did rainfall influence trip characteristics. However, rainfall decreased time devoted to foraging-related activities and increased time spent perching. Moreover, it affected flight mode, inducing birds to fly slower and at lower altitudes. Wind speed, which was not correlated with rainfall, had a distinct effect, with strong winds affecting night-time behaviours by decreasing time spent perching. Our results indicate that rainfall does not affect the spatial distribution of foraging frigatebirds but does alter fine-scale foraging behaviour through reducing flight activity. Frigatebirds appear to cope with frequent rainfall events in tropical oceans by reducing their activity levels. We suggest that ongoing environmental changes in this region, through increasing storm frequency and intensity, has the potential to impair foraging and indirectly affect the fitness of these apex predators.

**Authors:**

Federico De Pascalis¹, Rhiannon Austin², Jonathan Green², John Arnould³, Simona Imperio⁴, Jane Haakonsson⁵, Jacopo Cecere⁴, Diego Rubolini¹

¹University of Milan, ²University of Liverpool, ³Deakin University, ⁴ISPRA, ⁵Government of the Cayman Islands

Storm riders or hiders: rainfall alters foraging activity in a tropical seabird

**Abstract:**

Islands are biodiversity hotspots but are highly sensitive to disturbances, including the introduction of predatory mammals. While there have been considerable advances to the technology used to remove invasive mammals, little is known about the changes island communities experience during recovery. New Zealand - the world's largest seabird biodiversity hotspot - has cleared mammalian predators from >100 islands over several decades, providing a unique opportunity to quantify island recovery. Here, we examine seabird and vegetative changes at Pokohinu (Burgess) Island, predator-free for almost 30 years, of the Mokohinau Islands. In 2009, we documented seabird distributions, plant diversity, and soil depth across the island and performed smaller surveys in 2014 and 2019. We found an overall 62.5% increase in seabird burrow densities with a strong spatial overlap of species distributions. Diversity of plant species also significantly increased, possibly due to the increased abundance of seed-dispersing birds and the simultaneous expansion of invasive plant species. In addition, we performed burrow and vegetation surveys at other Mokohinau Islands that lack same extent of past human disturbance as Pokohinu, which is a retired lighthouse and farm. Seabird densities between islands were comparable but plant communities lacked many of the invasive species found at Pokohinu. Overall, our results suggest that vegetative cover might not be limiting nesting habitat availability within the Mokohinaus, as seabirds are able to utilize areas dominated by dense vegetation. We emphasize the importance of understanding vegetative succession during recovery periods which may help explain recolonization rates for more specialist species.

**Authors:**

Christy Wails¹, Gaia Dell'Ariccia², Todd Landers², Chris Gaskin³, Dave Towns⁴, Holly Jones¹

¹Northern Illinois Univeristy, ²Auckland Council, ³Northern New Zealand Seabird Trust, ⁴Auckland University of Technology

Keeping up with the tubenoses: Vegetative succession and seabird activity during passive island recovery

**Abstract:**

Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge (MANWR) is the world's largest albatross colony and provides globally significant breeding grounds for over 20 avian species totaling more than 3 million birds in the North Pacific Ocean. Since 2015, invasive house mice (Mus musculus) have attacked and depredated hundreds of nesting adult albatross. Mouse eradication on MANWR is planned for the summer of 2020, but the broader ecosystem-level effects of this invasive species are largely unknown. Here, we investigate mouse diet in order to infer ecological impacts of mice and predict potential ecosystem response to mouse eradication. We combined eDNA metabarcoding/next-generation sequencing (NGS) and stable isotope analysis to construct house mouse diet composition. We collected (paired) fecal and hair samples from 318 mice across MANWR's Sand Island from April 2018 to May 2019. Mice were trapped approximately every 8 weeks among four distinct habitat types, so as to provide insight into temporal and spatial shifts. Preliminary results from NGS indicate that Laysan Albatross DNA occurs frequently in mouse diet, throughout the year and across habitats; mice also consume a diverse array of arthropods as well as plants, although the latter to a lesser degree. Stable isotope analysis reveals that mice have very high trophic positions, greater than that of Laysan Albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) by more than 3%. Mouse trophic position does not vary seasonally, nor by habitat. Mice may preferentially consume seabird sources (likely through scavenging or preying on scavengers) for most of their diet; in turn, mouse diet could have implications for eradication operations in regard to bait palatability and availability of alternate food sources.

**Authors:**

Wieteke Holthuijzen¹, Elizabeth Flint², Jonathan Plissner², Coral Wolf³, Holly Jones⁴

¹University of Tennessee, ²U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, ³Island Conservation, ⁴Northern Illinois University

Mice to eat you: uncovering the diet of invasive house mice

**Abstract:**

Since the early 1980s, NOAA Fisheries has been monitoring and mitigating for seabird bycatch. In 2001, the agency formed the National Seabird Program (NSP) to coordinate seabird protection, and today it is a cross-cutting group of managers and scientists working domestically and internationally to protect and conserve seabirds. The program's activities are guided by statutes and agency priorities which form the basis for NSP's two key goals: 1) Monitor and mitigate seabird bycatch - NOAA Fisheries is responsible for bycatch in U.S. fisheries and supports bycatch reduction associated with non-U.S. fisheries, and 2) Promote seabirds as ecosystem indicators. As highly migratory, near-apex predators, seabirds integrate across trophic levels, space, and time, are easy to detect and identify, can be surveyed over various spatial scales, and are responsive to environmental change. In 2019, NSP finalized a five-year strategic plan to promote awareness and value of seabirds, foster collaboration, and coordinate and direct resources to accomplish its objectives. These included: 1) monitor and estimate seabird bycatch; 2) mitigate seabird bycatch; 3) strengthen key partnerships; 4) promote seabirds in advancing ecosystem-based fisheries management; and 5) elevate awareness of and support for the NSP. In practice, the program's approach to achieving its goals has been supporting field and laboratory research, ensuring our representation on working groups and steering committees within and external to NOAA Fisheries, and partnering with NOAA Offices, FMCs, States, and other Federal agencies. Other actions are coordinating and providing seabird expertise for policy and management decisions, conducting research, fieldwork, and outreach through agency reports and peer-reviewed publications. Seabirds are the world's most threatened bird group, and NOAA Fisheries' National Seabird Program continues to support seabird conservation both nationally and internationally.

**Authors:**

Annette Henry¹, Trevor Joyce¹, Lee Benaka¹, Shannon Fitzgerald¹, Thomas Good¹, Jason Jannot¹, Mi Ae Kim¹, Robert Suryan¹, Jeannette Zamon¹, Lisa Ballance²

¹NOAA Fisheries, ²Oregon State University

NOAA Fisheries' National Seabird Program: advancing conservation, sustainable fisheries, and ecosystem-based management

**Abstract:**

An oceanic warming anomaly that peaked during 2015-2016 impacted broad areas of the North Pacific, including areas with concentrations of breeding and overwintering seabirds in the Northern Gulf of Alaska. We monitored colony attendance, productivity, and seasonal distribution of seabirds in the Kenai Fjords area prior to, during, and following the oceanic warming event. We used remote camera observation techniques to observe breeding colonies of Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) and Common Murre (Uria aalge), and vessel based surveys to observe seasonal distribution of marine birds. We observed a reduction in colony attendance during the warming event. Productivity remained relatively similar prior to and during the warming event through 2015, but little or no productivity was observed during 2016-2017. The first signs of recovery in productivity were observed in 2018, with continued improvement in 2019. During the winter of 2015-2016, a large-scale mortality event of Common Murres occurred in Alaska, including our study area. Preceding and during the mortality event, a redistribution of pelagic Common Murres to nearshore waters was observed. Reasons for the redistribution and large-scale mortality of Common Murres are not fully understood, but have been linked to changes in prey availability, leading to starvation, and other contributing factors. Our study provided data characterizing demographic impacts of oceanic warming events on two species of seabirds with different foraging strategies, and provided evidence that recovery from such events may take multiple years due to lingering effects on nest site attendance and productivity.

**Authors:**

Tuula Hollmen¹, John Maniscalco², Sadie Ulman², Sarah Tanedo¹

¹University of Alaska Fairbanks and Alaska SeaLife Center, ²Alaska SeaLife Center

Demographic response of seabirds along the Kenai Fjords coast in the Northern Gulf of Alaska to a 2015-2016 marine heatwave

**Abstract:**

Phillip Island, Australia is home of one of the largest colonies of Little penguins, with over 32,000 breeding adults. Little penguins have been studied on the island since 1968. As sick and injured penguins were regularly found, a purpose-built Wildlife Clinic opened in the 1980s. Today, the Clinic cares for approximately 150 Little penguins annually, in addition to 300-400 other animals of over 60 different species. Rehabilitation success is often based on the number of animals successfully released from care. However, the fate of rehabilitated animals is hardly known or reported. Knowing the success of the rehabilitation efforts would allow for an assessment of the resources used as well as evaluating whether rehabilitated animals recover from the stress undergone while in care. Here we propose a more accurate indicator of success based on how many individuals are resighted after release. This study looked at how many adult Little penguins were resighted within a 12-year period (2005-2017) after being released from the Wildlife Clinic. The resight rates of Little penguins after rehabilitation was 49%, compared to 64% resight of control birds (penguins that were not rehabilitated), which was significantly different, χ2 (1, N = 107) = 5.50, p < 0.05. Although the difference between resights of the Clinic and the control birds was significantly high, almost half of the rehabilitated birds were sighted again in the breeding colony. Given the increasing number of diseases, incidents with human-penguin interactions and negative effect of climate on penguin food supply, the penguin rehabilitation efforts are worth doing.

**Authors:**

Paula Wasiak¹, Jodi Bellett¹, Rose Baulch¹

¹Phillip Island Nature Parks

Is it worth doing? Little penguin rehabilitation and release on Phillip Island

**Abstract:**

This poster aims to introduce The Hutton's Shearwater Charitable Trust (HSCT), a group formed from and by community members of a small seaside town in New Zealand's South Island: Kaikōura, whose scenic mountain backdrop is home to the rare and elusive Hutton's shearwater (Puffinus huttoni) or tītī. Due to land use and predation pressures, the species nowadays survives in only two remaining wild colonies above 1200m asl and a third translocated colony on the Kaikōura Peninsula, where birds can breed safely behind a predator-proof fence. The already limited breeding habitat has recently been further reduced due to landslides and burrow collapse caused by the Kaikōura earthquakes in Nov 2016, which also killed an estimated third of the breeding population in the wild. The species is facing further pressure from being attracted to artificial lights of the Kaikōura township causing birds to crash land on roads where they often perish if not rescued in time. Next to members of the general public, the HSCT includes representatives of stakeholders such as the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC), landowners (McArthur family at Puhi Peaks Station and Tu Kete Trust) and Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura. Our aims are to encourage and support the conservation and sustainable management of the Hutton's shearwater to ensure flourishing populations of our Taonga (treasure) in the future, acknowledging the links between the mountains, the ocean, the sky and the people. We are working towards gaining greater ecological understanding of the species by facilitating research, mitigating threats, securing and managing the new colony and raising awareness of the 'plight of the tītī' through public outreach and education. While the HSCT has received support from DOC as well as a variety of local businesses and conservation groups over the years, we currently are in need of a new long-term sponsor to maintain as well as advance our vital conservation work. The poster will illustrate the different aspects of our work, weaving together the many strands of passionate and dedicated people doing their bit to look after their precious local seabird.

**Authors:**

Lorna Deppe¹

¹The Hutton's Shearwater Charitable Trust

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Effects of wind on seabird foraging in the North East Atlantic

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