Age of Flesh-footed Shearwaters returning to Lord Howe Island for the first time

A Flesh-footed Shearwater on Lord Howe Island, photograph by Tim Reid

Jennifer Lavers (Gulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia) and Alex Bond have published in the journal Emu – Austral Ecology on age at first return in the Near Threatened Flesh-footed or Sable Shearwater Ardenna carnepeis. The species has been suggested for ACAP listing.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Long-term datasets are fundamental to the accurate estimation of demographic parameters for long-lived species. This is particularly the case for declining species where there is an imperative to identify which parameter(s) are driving population dynamics. Using eleven years of banding and recapture data (2015–2025), we provide the first estimate of age at first return for a declining population of Sable Shearwaters Ardenna carneipes on Lord Howe Island in eastern Australia. Mean age at first return was 6.2 years, which is among the longest pre-breeding period reported for any shearwater. Various factors that may influence shearwater recruitment age, such as climate and population size, are briefly discussed.”

Reference:

Lavers, J.L. & Bond, A.L. 2025.  Age at first return of Sable Shearwaters (Ardenna carneipes), Emu doi.org/10.1080/01584197.2025.2553645.