Global Marine Flyways Identified for Long-Distance Migrating Seabirds From Tracking Data

Publication Date

2-1-2025

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Global Ecology and Biogeography

Volume

34

Issue

2

DOI

10.1111/geb.70004

Abstract

Aim: To identify the broad-scale oceanic migration routes (‘marine flyways’) used by multiple pelagic, long-distance migratory seabirds based on a global compilation of tracking data. Location: Global. Time Period: 1989–2023. Major Taxa Studied: Seabirds (Families: Phaethontidae, Hydrobatidae, Diomedeidae, Procellariidae, Laridae and Stercorariidae). Methods: We collated a comprehensive global tracking dataset that included the migratory routes of 48 pelagic and long-distance migrating seabird species across the Atlantic, Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans. We grouped individuals that followed similar routes, independent of species or timings of migration, using a dynamic time warping clustering approach. We visualised the routes of each cluster using a line density analysis and used knowledge of seabird spatial ecology to combine the clusters to identify the broad-scale flyways followed by most pelagic migratory seabirds tracked to-date at an ocean-basin scale. Results: Six marine flyways were identified across the world's oceans: the Atlantic Ocean Flyway, North Indian Ocean Flyway, East Indian Ocean Flyway, West Pacific Ocean Flyway, Pacific Ocean Flyway and Southern Ocean Flyway. Generally, the flyways were used bidirectionally, and individuals either followed sections of a flyway, a complete flyway, or their movements linked two or more flyways. Transhemispheric figure-of-eight routes in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and a circumnavigation flyway in the Southern Ocean correspond with major wind-driven ocean currents. Main Conclusions: The marine flyways identified demonstrate that pelagic seabirds have similar and repeatable migration routes across ocean-basin scales. Our study highlights the need to account for connectivity in seabird conservation and provides a framework for international cooperation.

Funding Sponsor

Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, nukleare Sicherheit und Verbraucherschutz

Keywords

biologging, conservation, ecological connectivity, flyways, migration, seabirds

Comments

Joanne M. Morten, Ana P. B. Carneiro, Martin Beal, Anne-Sophie Bonnet-Lebrun, Maria P. Dias, Marie-Morgane Rouyer, Autumn-Lynn Harrison, Jacob González-Solís, Victoria R. Jones, Virginia A. Garcia Alonso, Michelle Antolos, Javier A. Arata, Christophe Barbraud, Elizabeth A. Bell, Mike Bell, Samhita Bose, Sharyn Broni, Michael de L Brooke, Stuart H. M. Butchart, Nicholas Carlile, Paulo Catry, Teresa Catry, Matt Charteris, Yves Cherel, Bethany L. Clark, Thomas A. Clay, Nik C. Cole, Melinda G. Conners, Igor Debski, Karine Delord, Carsten Egevang, Graeme Elliot, Jan Esefeld, Colin Facer, Annette L. Fayet, Ruben C. Fijn, Johannes H. Fischer, Kirsty A. Franklin, Olivier Gilg, Jennifer A. Gill, José P. Granadeiro, Tim Guilford, Jonathan M. Handley, Sveinn A. Hanssen, Lucy A. Hawkes, April Hedd, Audrey Jaeger, Carl G. Jones, Christopher W. Jones, Matthias Kopp, Johannes Krietsch, Todd J. Landers, Johannes Lang, Matthieu Le Corre, Mark L. Mallory, Juan F. Masello, Sara M. Maxwell, Fernando Medrano, Teresa Militão, Craig D. Millar, Børge Moe, William A. Montevecchi, Leia Navarro-Herrero, Verónica C. Neves, David G. Nicholls, Malcolm A. C. Nicoll, Ken Norris, Terence W. O'Dwyer, Graham C. Parker, Hans-Ulrich Peter, Richard A. Phillips, Petra Quillfeldt, Jaime A. Ramos, Raül Ramos, Matt J. Rayner, Kalinka Rexer-Huber, Robert A. Ronconi, Kevin Ruhomaun, Peter G. Ryan, Paul M. Sagar, Sarah Saldanha, Niels M. Schmidt, Hendrik Schultz, Scott A. Shaffer, Iain J. Stenhouse, Akinori Takahashi, Vikash Tatayah, Graeme A. Taylor, David R. Thompson, Theo Thompson, Rob van Bemmelen, Diego Vicente-Sastre, Freydís Vigfúsdottir, Kath J. Walker, Jim Watts, Henri Weimerskirch, Takashi Yamamoto, Tammy E. Davies

Department

Biological Sciences

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