Abstract
Considerable progress in our understanding of long-distance migration has been achieved thanks to the use of small geolocator devices (GLS). The tracking of resident or short-distance migrant animals remains however challenging because geolocation errors are substantial and difficult to estimate. This study aims to examine the sex-specific marine space uses of a resident tropical seabird, the masked booby (Sula dactylatra), during its full annual life cycle at the Fernando de Noronha archipelago (Brazil). Masked boobies (n = 31) tagged with GLS recording light intensity, seawater immersion, and water temperature showed a resident behaviour over their entire annual cycle. A wavelet analysis of GLS data revealed oscillatory patterns of inferred longitude correlated with changes in immersion frequency. This synchronicity demonstrated that birds traveled away and back from the colony on consecutive trips of short length (\(\sim\) 2–4 days) and short range (\(\sim\) 100–300 km) eastward of the colony. Duration and range of trips depended on the sex of the individual and on the time of the year. Trip duration increased gradually from the end of the breeding period to the post-breeding period, probably due to the release of the central-place breeding constraints. During the pre-breeding period, females had farther ranges eastward and spent more time in water than males. Despite inherent limits of light-based geolocation, this study demonstrates the relevance of synchronicity analysis of GLS data for investigating year-round movements of resident or short-distance migrants.
Highlights
Considerable progress in our understanding of long-distance migration has been achieved thanks to the use of small lightweight geolocator devices
Highest deviations were observed for days when the bird spent more than 75% in wet environments
global location sensors (GLS) data and resident behaviour Data from our 31 tracking tags showed that Masked Boobies from FdN archipelago were staying in the vicinity of their breeding site both during breeding and nonbreeding season
Summary
Considerable progress in our understanding of long-distance migration has been achieved thanks to the use of small lightweight geolocator devices. Such global location sensors (GLS) are suitable for studying non-breeding movement and behaviour due to their small size and low energy consumption allowing multiyear deployment. Many birds are able to travel quickly over long distances, to occupy distant areas at dierent seasons, returning repeatedly to the same localities from year to year. In opposition to these migratory populations, others can be referred as resident (or sedentary). A resident bird can be dened as one whose distribution and center of gravity remain more or less the same all year round, and from year to year [3]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
