GPS Tracking Reveals Long Flights For Food

Socotra Comorants are native seabirds to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They are currently listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. These sea birds are the subject of a conservation-related study using GPS technology. Monitoring these birds showed that their flight patterns while feeding were much larger than expected. Birds have been tracked flying hundreds of kilometers in one feeding.

“It kind of makes it quite clear to you how important it is to save what we have along eight coastline because we don’t know where these guys go,” explained Rob Gubiani, a UAE University biologist. He worked together in the study with Timothee Cook, an ornithologist from the University of Cape Town. They spent fall of last year on Siniya Island in Umm Al Quwain, a major breeding colony for these birds.

“First time we’ve done this,” said Gubiani. “We don’t know where they go. So this is gold. We never knew where they went before, we never knew that they went that far south, that far north. Now that we know that they go there, it really strengthens the case for protection of the coastline.”

The research is funded by the National Research Foundation and the Mohammed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund. They collaborated with the Marine Environmental Research Center and the Environmental Agency-Abu Dhabi as part of a long-term study. Dr. Cook plans to return next season with 50 more GPS tracking devices to monitor the Socotra Comorants during their non-breeding season. He also hopes to get a better understanding of their roosting and feeding habits during breeding season.

“The birds are using lots of different areas in the UAE waters,” explained Oscar Campbell, chairman of the Emirates Bird Records Committee. “So to conserve them, obviously, the colony needs to be conserved on Siniya island – but that is going to be useless if there are not healthy fisheries for them as well.

“It is very likely that they move much further than Ras Al Khaimah. For example, if you go to Fujairah on the East Coast, you can see several hundreds and there are no colonies anywhere there. The nearest colony is Siniya island. These birds will need healthy fisheries and they will need shelter at undisturbed beaches. Just protecting the colony isn’t enough.”

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GPS Tracking Reveals Long Flights For Food