At-sea Distribution of Shy Albatrosses Diomedea cauta cauta Derived from Records of Band Recoveries and Colour-marked Birds

Abstract

The distribution of Shy Albatrosses Diomedea cauta cauta from Australian colonies was studied using band recoveries and colour-marked birds. Adults from the colonies on Albatross Island and the Mewstone were found to be relatively sedentary. Birds were found to travel much more widely in their first five years, with birds from Albatross Island recovered from Western Australia, and birds rom the Mewstone recovered from South Africa. The difference in dispersion between birds from two close colonies and the overlap of Shy Albatrosses at-sea with areas of long-line fishing has important differential implications for the conservation of this population.