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Seabirds are one of the most threatened bird groups, with the abundance and conservation status of Caribbean populations in decline. Mona Island, off the west coast of Puerto Rico, is a protected area and conservation priority in the Caribbean, with ongoing threats of non-native predation and habitat modification by invasive mammals. More than 80 yr since the last observation, we report the persistence of two breeding seabirds—the Audubon’s Shearwater (Puffinus lherminieri) and the Bridled Tern (Onychoprion anaethetus)—in the northern caves of Mona Island. These remnant populations could play a critical role in seabird recovery on Mona following an effort to eradicate invasive mammals and could contribute to the conservation status of these birds in the Caribbean. Keywords Audubon’s Shearwater, breeding, Bridled Tern, Mona Island, Onychoprion anaethetus, Puffinus lherminieri, seabird Resumen Persistencia de Puffinus lherminieri y Onychoprion anaethetus en refugios de cría en cuevas en la isla de Mona, Puerto Rico • Las aves marinas son uno de los grupos de aves más amenazados, con la abundancia y el estado de conservación de las poblaciones del Caribe en declive. La isla de Mona, frente a la costa occidental de Puerto Rico, es un área protegida y una prioridad de conservación en el Caribe, con amenazas constantes de depredación por especies no nativas y modificación del hábitat por mamíferos invasores. Más de 80 años después del último avistamiento, reportamos la permanencia de dos aves marinas reproductoras—Puffinus lherminieri y Onychoprion anaethetus—en las cuevas del norte de la isla de Mona. Estas poblaciones remanentes podrían desempeñar un papel fundamental en la recuperación de las aves marinas en Mona tras un esfuerzo por erradicar los mamíferos invasores y podrían contribuir al estado de conservación de estas aves en el Caribe. Palabras clave aves marinas, cría, isla de Mona, Onychoprion anaethetus, Puffinus lherminieri Résumé Persistance de la nidification du Puffin d’Audubon (Puffinus lherminieri) et de la Sterne bridée (Onychoprion anaethetus) dans des grottes refuges sur l’île Mona, à Porto Rico • Les oiseaux marins sont l’un des groupes d’oiseaux les plus menacés, l’abondance et l’état de conservation des populations caribéennes étant en déclin. Au large de la côte ouest de Porto Rico, l’île Mona est une zone protégée et de conservation prioritaire dans la Caraïbe, avec des menaces permanentes de prédation par des espèces non indigènes et de modification des habitats par des mammifères envahissants. Plus de 80 ans après la dernière observation, nous signalons la persistance de la nidification de deux oiseaux marins — le Puffin d’Audubon (Puffinus lherminieri) et la Sterne bridée (Onychoprion anaethetus) — dans des grottes du nord de l’île Mona. Ces populations résiduelles pourraient jouer un rôle essentiel dans le rétablissement des oiseaux marins sur Mona après un effort d’éradication des mammifères envahissants, et pourraient contribuer à améliorer l’état de conservation de ces oiseaux dans la Caraïbe. Mots clés île Mona, oiseau marin, Onychoprion anaethetus, Puffin d’Audubon, Puffinus lherminieri, reproduction, Sterne bridée

Puffinus lherminieri bannermani is a small black-and-white shearwater, which is endemic to the Ogasawara Islands, Japan. The taxonomic position of this shearwater is contentious. It is treated as a subspecies of Audubon's Shearwater P. lherminieri or the Tropical Shearwater P. bailloni in some checklists, while it is as considered monotypic, as Bannerman's Shearwater P. bannermani, in others. We examined the mitochondrial cytochrome b region to determine the taxon's phylogenetic position. While on the one hand the results showed that it was not genetically related to either P. lherminieri or P. bailloni, but formed a clade with P. myrtae, P. newelli, and P. auricularis, on the other hand, bannermani has diverged substantially from the other three taxa in both genetic and morphological features. This shearwater was first described as Bannerman's Shearwater, and our results confirm that P. lherminieri bannermani should be split from Audubon's Shearwater, and the monotypic Bannerman's Shearwater is ...

Cryptic species are often difficult to count and thus protect. Audubon's Shearwater (Puffinus lherminieri) is a cryptic seabird that has disappeared from many colonies, but knowledge of the population's status is incomplete. This paper reviews the survey methods in detail and assesses the status. This species nests or once nested on at least 154 islands in the Caribbean and remains on 137 today, with most habitat just above sea level. Remaining colonies represent 1% of the former breeding area and are remote, with 98 sites lacking any estimate of density. In 16 plots searched on multiple nights using playback, the probability of detection of defended nests was 79 ± 5% (57 of 72 defended nests) in a single night of searching. Pairs were attempting to breed in 54 ± 6% (39 of 72) of defended nests. Average densities, adjusted for missed detections, ranged from 0.6 to 246 defended nests ha−1 (n = 21 colonies, median = 18.5 ha−1, area-weighted mean = 104 ha−1). Using the best data from every colony, a...

A pardela-de-asa-larga (Puffinus lherminieri Lesson 1839) é uma ave marinha tropical que ocorre entre o sul do Canadá e a costa sudeste do Brasil. Puffinus lherminieri é considerado Criticamente Ameaçado na lista vermelha do Brasil principalmente porque ocorre somente em duas localidades, ambas contendo pequenas populações. Porém, muitas ilhas ao longo da costa Brasileira são pouco conhecidas e a descoberta de novas colônias pode ser significativa para a conservação desta espécie. O objetivo deste estudo foi estimar a distribuição geográfica potencial da pardela-de-asa-larga no Brasil, baseada em modelagem de nicho ecológico (MNE) usando o algorítimo Maxent com camadas obtidas do banco de dados ambientais AquaMaps. A MNE foi baseada em 37 registros de áreas de reprodução nas Américas do Norte e Sul. O modelo mostrou uma ampla distribuição potencial, cobrindo a maior parte da costa Atlântica do Brasil e EUA. Quando filtrada para as ilhas ao longo da costa Brasileira o modelo indicou altos níveis de adequação ambiental próximo aos estados de São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo e Bahia. Porém, P. lherminieri prefere ilhas em ambientes com água quente e salina. Então, baseado na influência das correntes que atuam na costa Brasileira nós podemos inferir que colônias são mais prováveis de ocorrer em ilhas da costa da Bahia, Espírito Santo e extremo norte do Rio de Janeiro. Estas devem ser intensamente pesquisadas enquanto as ilhas ao sul de Cabo Frio devem ser descartadas. A existência de novas populações pode ter profundos efeitos no estado de conservação desta ave marinha enigmática e raramente vista. Audubon's Shearwater (Puffinus lherminieri Lesson 1839) is a tropical seabird occurring mainly between southern Canada and the southeast coast of Brazil. Puffinus lherminieri is considered Critically Endangered on the Brazilian Red List because it only occurs in two known localities, both of which contain very small populations. However, many offshore islands along the Brazilian coast are poorly known and the discovery of new colonies would be of considerable significance for the conservation of this species. The aim of this study was to estimate the potential geographic distribution of Audubon's Shearwater in Brazil, based on ecological niche model (ENM) using Maxent algorithm with layers obtained from AquaMaps environmental dataset. The ENM was based on 37 records for reproduction areas in North and South America. The model yielded a very broad potential distribution, covering most of the Atlantic coast ranging from Brazil to the US. When filtered for islands along the Brazilian coast, the model indicates higher levels of environmental suitability near the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo and Bahia. However, P. lherminieri prefers islands in environments with warm saline water. Thus, based on the influence of currents that act on the Brazilian coast we can infer undiscovered colonies are most likely to occur on islands on coast of Bahia, Espírito Santo and extreme north of the Rio de Janeiro. These should be intensively surveyed while the islands south of Cabo Frio should be discarded. The existence of new populations would have profound effects on the conservation status of this enigmatic and rarely seen seabird.

The extinct species Puffinus parvus Shufeldt of Bermuda is shown to be synonymous with the living taxon Puffinus boydi of the Cape Verde islands. This species occurred on Bermuda throughout the last 400 000 years, during both glacial and interglacial intervals, and into the Holocene up until the arrival of humans when introduced predators evidently caused its extirpation. Subsequently, the island was colonized briefly by the Caribbean species Puffinus lherminieri, which in turn was extirpated from the island in the 20th Century. The indications are that P. boydi successfully outcompeted P. lherminieri on Bermuda until it was removed through human agency, thus closely paralleling the situation documented for two species of Megadyptes penguins in New Zealand. Thus P. lherminieri and P. boydi have long functioned as biological species and should be considered as full species along with the cold-water species Puffinus baroli of the North Atlantic. Restoration efforts for small shearwaters on Bermuda should now focus on P. boydi rather than P. lherminieri. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 99, 699–707.

The breeding success of burrow-nesting seabirds may be influenced by both nest site characteristics and oceanographic conditions influencing food availability at sea. In this study we describe the breeding biology of the winter-breeding Macaronesian shearwater (Puffinus lherminieri baroli), including nest site characteristics and interspecific competition. We also evaluate the possible effects of changing oceanographic conditions on breeding phenology and breeding success. The study was carried out over two breeding seasons on two islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, Cima Islet and Selvagem Grande. Oceanographic characteristics differed between years. On a regional scale, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index was low and negative in 2011, and on a local scale, birds used areas with significantly lower values of chlorophyll a concentration and significantly higher values of sea surface temperature anomalies. Hatching success was higher in 2012 than in 2011. At both colonies, egg cracking was the main cause of hatching failure, but in 2011 several eggs on Selvagem Grande were deserted. In 2012 birds laid earlier and chicks had longer wings and were heavier. At both colonies, nests that were deeper, were sheltered from prevailing winds and had small chambers and a soil substrate had a higher probability of being used successfully by the birds. Nests occupied solely by Macaronesian shearwaters were much deeper and had less volume than nests shared with other species. Our study suggests that the breeding success of Macaronesian shearwaters is strongly related to nest site characteristics and that at-sea environmental conditions exert a strong influence on reproductive parameters, with birds breeding in a poor year (evaluated in terms of lower marine productivity) laying much later and their chicks growing at a slower rate than in a good year. The influence of nest site characteristics and environmental conditions may be very important for understanding the breeding ecology of Procellariiformes and may help explain the negative population trend of Macaronesian shearwaters.

In the context of management of Audubon’s shearwater population from Martinique, this thesis hasestablished a demographic diagnosis and provided essential knowledge on the marine ecology ofthis species. The population has experienced a fairly marked growth in recent years, correspondingto a period where the rats were exterminated and monitoring of colony was limited to reduce thedisturbance. However, the main factor that explained the increase in population was improvedmarine conditions favoring greater availability of prey, especially outside reproduction. Theincrease in adult survival was then explained in large part by a positive effect of changes in oceansurface water temperature (SST) out of reproduction and a positive effect of the flow of the Amazonwith a lag one year. At sea, we notice that the puffin Audubon Martinique has sedentary behaviorwith very limited regional distribution and the Lesser Antilles near the northern coast of SouthAmerica. Its food niche is under the strong influence of riverine inputs of the Amazon and Orinoco,low salinity and high SST environments. In addition, foraging areas of Audubon's Shearwater fromMartinique differ from that of the Bahamas and this suggests a double subspecies of the Caribbeanmanagement problematic. This new knowledge will help guide conservation measures but alsounderline the need to clarify the taxonomy of this species throughout the Caribbean, the dynamicsof the population and to more accurately assess its threats at sea., Dans l’optique de la gestion de population du puffin d’Audubon de Martinique, cette thèse a permisd’établir un diagnostic démographique et d’apporter des connaissances indispensables surl’écologie marine de cette espèce. La population a connu une croissance assez marquée lesdernières années, correspondant à une période où les rats ont été exterminés et le suivi de la colonieréduit pour limiter le dérangement. Cependant, le principal facteur ayant expliqué cetteaugmentation de la population, a été une amélioration des conditions marines favorisant unedisponibilité des proies plus importante, particulièrement hors reproduction. L’augmentation de lasurvie des adultes a été alors expliquée en grande partie par un effet positif des variations detempérature d’eau de surface de l’océan (SST) hors reproduction et un effet positif du débit del’Amazone avec un décalage d’un an. En mer, on remarque que le puffin d’Audubon de Martiniquea un comportement sédentaire avec une distribution très régionale limitée aux Petites Antilles etproche des côtes du nord de l’Amérique du Sud. Sa niche alimentaire est sous la forte influenced’apports fluviaux de l’Amazone et de l’Orénoque, milieux à faible salinité et à SST élevée. Deplus, les zones d’alimentation de la population de Martinique diffèrent de celle de Bahamas et celasuggère une double problématique de gestion de la sous-espèce de la Caraïbe. Ces nouvellesconnaissances permettront de mieux orienter les mesures de conservation mais soulignentégalement le besoin de clarifier la taxonomie de cette espèce à l’échelle de la Caraïbe, la dynamiquede la population et d’évaluer plus précisément les menaces en mer.

Audubon's Shearwater Pufhnus lherminieri is a little known species of petrel. The recent descriptions of a possibly new species (P. atrodorsalis) and a new subspecies (l? 1. colstoni) have suggested that the population breeding on Reunion Island, I! 1. bailloni, may represent a key taxon for understanding the phylogeography of this group in the Indian Ocean. We provide the first detailed information on distribution, abundance, habitat characteristics and breeding biology of the species on Reunion, and assess relationships between the Indian Ocean taxa based on biometrics, coloration characters and patterns of breeding phenology. We also studied the behaviour of the birds on Reunion, paying particular attention to vocalizations. Analysing the parameters that affect calling rate, such as moonlight, season and time, we show that calling activity can be used to estimate colony size. Using this method, we sampled more than half of Reunion Island habitats suitable for Audubon's Shearwater, and estimate that the breeding population there is between 3000 and 5000 pairs in at least 235 colonies. Compared to other Indian Ocean populations (n = 136 specimens), the analysis of biometrics and coloration characters suggests that three main populations exist (Comoro, Reunion and Seychelles), with birds of Maldives and Amirantes being biometrically inseparable from those of Seychelles, and birds from Aldabra being intermediate between Seychelles and Reunion. The proposed new species, atrodorsalis, also falls in the overlap between Seychelles and Reunion birds, which argues against a full species taxonomic status.

Audubon’s Shearwater Pufhnus lherminieri is a little known species of petrel. The recent descriptions of a possibly new species (P. atrodorsalis) and a new subspecies (l? 1. colstoni) have suggested that the population breeding on Reunion Island, I! 1. bailloni, may represent a key taxon for understanding the phylogeography of this group in the Indian Ocean. We provide the first detailed information on distribution, abundance, habitat characteristics and breeding biology of the species on Reunion, and assess relationships between the Indian Ocean taxa based on biometrics, coloration characters and patterns of breeding phenology. We also studied the behaviour of the birds on Reunion, paying particular attention to vocalizations. Analysing the parameters that affect calling rate, such as moonlight, season and time, we show that calling activity can be used to estimate colony size. Using this method, we sampled more than half of Reunion Island habitats suitable for Audubon’s Shearwater, and estimate that the breeding population there is between 3000 and 5000 pairs in at least 235 colonies. Compared to other Indian Ocean populations (n = 136 specimens), the analysis of biometrics and coloration characters suggests that three main populations exist (Comoro, Reunion and Seychelles), with birds of Maldives and Amirantes being biometrically inseparable from those of Seychelles, and birds from Aldabra being intermediate between Seychelles and Reunion. The proposed new species, atrodorsalis, also falls in the overlap between Seychelles and Reunion birds, which argues against a full species taxonomic status.

Este artículo contiene 21 páginas, 6 figuras, 5 tablas., Seabirds inhabiting vast water masses provide numerous examples where opposing phenomena, such as natal and breeding philopatry vs. vagility have dug cryptic taxonomic boundaries among closely related taxa. The taxonomy of little shearwaters of the North Atlantic Ocean (Little–Audubon’s shearwater complex, Puffinus assimilis–lherminieri) still remains unclear, and complementary information on non-breeding distributions and at-sea behaviour becomes essential to unravel divergent local adaptations to specific habitats. Using miniaturized light-level geolocators from seven study areas in the North Atlantic, we evaluate the spatial and habitat segregation, estimate the timing of their key life-cycle events and describe the at-sea behaviour of three taxa of these little shearwaters year-round to distinguish ecological patterns and specializations that could ultimately unravel potential lineage divergences. We also assess morphometric data from birds that were breeding at each study area to further discuss potential adaptations to specific habitats. Our results show that, while birds from different taxa segregated in space and habitats, they share ecological plasticity, similar annual phenology and diel foraging behaviour. These ecological inconsistencies, while defining the evolutionary stressors faced by these taxa, do not suggest the existence of three Evolutionary Significant Units. However, they confirm the recent evolutionary divergence among the three little shearwaters of the North Atlantic., We acknowledge the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO), the Fondos FEDER (CGL2009-11278/BOS, CGL2013-42585-P), the EU LIFE Programme (LIFE09 NAT/PT/000041) and the British Ornithologists’ Union for funding.RR was supported by postdoctoral contracts of the Juan de la Cierva (JCI-2012–11848) and PLEAMAR (2017/2349) programs from the Spanish MINECO and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), respectively, VHP by a postdoctoral fellowship of Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT; SFRH/BPD/85024/2012) and ZZ by a PhD grant (APIF-2012) from Universitat de Barcelona (Spain).

International audience; An understanding of how environmental changes affect life history traits and populationdynamics is essential for predicting the effects of climate change, managing ecosystems, and determininghow species and habitats can best be preserved. This applies particularly to seabirds, which, as topmarinepredators, are often considered as indicators of marine ecosystem changes. Most studies have sofar been conducted in polar or temperate regions. However, important changes in the functioning of tropicalmarineecosystems have been reported, but the responses of top predators remain poorly known. Thisstudy focused on a tropical seabird, Audubon’s shearwater Puffinus lherminieri, analyzing the relationshipsbetween climate change and the survival of adults, nesting success, and population dynamics. The populationstudied breeds in Martinique, in the south of the Caribbean region, which is strongly influenced by theAmazon and Orinoco rivers. A data set for the period 1995 to 2014 was used to estimate the survival by ageclasses and breeding success and to determine which climate variables most affected demographic parameters.The population dynamics were modeled to predict the future population growth rates in responseto climate change. The annual adult survival rate increased over the last 20 years, currently standing at94% for adult birds more than 6 years old. Adult survival increased with sea surface temperature (SST)during the nonbreeding season as well as with Amazon River discharge, although the latter with a lag of1 year. The effect of SST was explained by the positive relationship between SST and chlorophyll a duringyears of high discharge from the Amazon and Orinoco. The population decreased between 1995 and 2007at a rate of 3% per year and then increased between 2008 and 2014 at a rate of 7% per year. The increasein adult survival observed should continue as temperatures increase in the future, and the populationmodels predicted a stable or increasing population over the next 50 years (λ = 1.018). These results contrastwith the negative effect of increasing SST on seabird populations found in temperate and polar regions,emphasizing the need to study the impact of climate change on tropical seabirds.

L'île de la Réunion (55'30°E; 21'00°S) héberge deux espèces de pétrels endémiques, dont le pétrel de Barau, Pterodroma baraui. Cette espèce, classée «En danger» (IUCN 2000) est soumise à plusieurs menaces importantes: prédation par les mammifères introduits, braconnage et échouage. La mortalité des pétrels liée aux éclairages urbains est un phénomène récent lié à l'urbanisation de l'île. Les jeunes oiseaux, à leur envol, sont attirés par les éclairages et tombent au sol où ils risquent de mourir. Des campagnes de sauvetage sont organisées avec une mobilisation des habitants de l'île. Ainsi, 3 762 Pétrels de Barau ont été recueillis entre 1995 et 2004. Les principaux lieux d'échouage sont identifiés. Les types de structures les plus attractives sont, le réseau routier éclairé (37.8%), et les complexes sportifs (24.4%) (n = 1 652). Des expérimentations chez le Puffinus lherminieri bailloni montrent que les couleurs les moins attractives sont le rouge et le jaune, et, à l'opposé, le vert et le bleu. L'ensemble de ces résultats permet de proposer des mesures sur les éclairages urbains de manière à réduire leur impact sur les jeunes pétrels (volume d'éclairage, direction et concentration de l'éclairage, couleur des éclairages, interruptions temporaires…) dans les projets futurs d'aménagement. The island of Réunion (55'30E; 21'00S) has two endemic petrels, one of which is Barau's Petrel (Pterodroma baraui), classified as ‘Endangered' (IUCN 2000). This species is under threat from several sources: predation by introduced mammals, poaching, and strandings. Petrel deaths resulting from city lights is a recent phenomenon related to urbanisation of the island. Young birds on fledging are attracted by the lights, and fall to the ground where they risk being killed. Rescue operations have mobilised the local population, and between 1995 and 2004, 3 762 Barau's Petrels were retrieved. The main stranding sites were identified. The most attractive structures were the illuminated road network (37.8%) and sports complexes (24.4%) (n = 1 652). Experiments on Puffinus lherminieri bailloni showed that the least attractive lighting colours are red and yellow, the most attractive green and blue. These findings enable us to propose measures to ameliorate the impact of city lights on the young petrels, by adjusting the amount of lighting, its direction and intensity, the colours of the lights, and temporary black-outs at critical times. Ostrich 2007, 78(2): 449–452