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title: "Wedge-tailed Shearwaters on the Great Barrier Reef forage outside the marine park in the Coral Sea"
---

# Wedge-tailed Shearwaters on the Great Barrier Reef forage outside the marine park in the Coral Sea

Fiona McDuie (Centre for Tropical Environmental & Sustainability Sciences & [College of Marine & Environmental Science](http://www.jcu.edu.au/mtb/research/strength/JCUDEV_018546.html), James Cook University, Cairns, Australia) and colleagues have published in the open-access journal [*Marine Ornithology*](http://www.marineornithology.org/index.html) on foraging patterns of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters *Puffinus pacificus* breeding in Australia.

 The paper’s abstract follows:

 “To determine whether breeding tropical shearwaters use “at-distance” locations during the long-trip phase of their bimodal foraging cycle, we deployed PTT satellite tracking devices on adult Wedge-tailed Shearwaters *Ardenna pacifica* of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia, over three breeding seasons.  During the long-trip phase (8–14 d), a component of a bimodal pattern of foraging not seen previously in a tropical shearwater, birds travelled to distant sites in the Coral Sea between 300 and 1100 km from the breeding colony, primarily to the north and east.  At-distance foraging sites were in deeper water and closer to seamounts than were near-colony foraging sites used for chick provisioning, a combination of features indicating enhanced prey availability at these at-distance locations.  These findings imply that long-term reproductive success at this and likely other GBR colonies is strongly dependent on the continued stability of these at-distance locations, yet at present all are outside the current Great Barrier Reef Marine Park management zone.  To adequately conserve GBR seabirds and other marine species using these resources, a conservation strategy integrated with current management practices is needed for the open waters of the Coral Sea.”

 ![](https://acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Shearwaters/Wedge_tailed/wedge-tailed shearwater_alan_burger.jpg)

 Wedge-tailed Shearwater, photograph by Alan Burger

 **Reference:**

 McDuie, F., Weeks, S.J., Miller, M.G.R. & Congdon, B.C. 2015.  Breeding tropical shearwaters use distant foraging sites when self-provisioning.  [*Marine Ornithology* 43: 123-129](http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/43_1/43_1_123-129.pdf).

 *John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 24 May 2015*