The behaviour of seabirds during migration – including
patterns of foraging, rest and flight – has been revealed in new detail using
novel computational analyses and tracking technologies.
Using a new method called 'ethoinformatics', described as
the application of computational methods in the investigation of animal
behaviour, scientists have been able to analyse three years of migration data
gathered from miniature tracking devices attached to the small seabird the Manx
Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus).
The Manx Shearwater is currently on the 'amber' list of UK
Birds of Conservation Concern. Up to 80% of the world population breeds in the
UK, travelling 20,000km each year in their migrations to South America and
back.