Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · 5d

Native forests & seabirds are recovering on Bikar Atoll and Jemo Islet following the 2024 rat removal by the PRISMSS / Predator Free Pacific program. Seabird guano is enhancing nutrient cycles, boosting soil health, reefs, fish stocks, and climate resilience for local communities.
bit.ly/4mDyjKB

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · 5d

On Oct 1, 2025, we lost a true icon. Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE & UN Messenger of Peace, passed away of natural causes.

Her life reshaped science & inspired generations to protect nature. In 2015, she opened the 2nd World Seabird Conference in Cape Town. 🌍💚

🎥 youtu.be/cmBTZA3kKzg?...

Jane Goodall introduces the World Seabird Conference

youtu.be

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · 6d

In 1981, just 4 years after Project Puffin began, adult puffins returned to Eastern Egg Island—with fish in their beaks 🐟 A sign chicks had hatched!

Today, hundreds thrive there—thanks to Dr. Stephen Kress, their dedicated protector. 🐧

🎥 youtu.be/ELBvPTvA8NA?...

How researchers restored a thriving habitat for Atlantic puffins in Maine

Atlantic puffins face an increasingly precarious foothold due in part to a loss of habitat and to troubles tied to warming ocean waters and climate change. But an effort off the coast of Maine…

youtu.be

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · 6d

🚨 Europe’s waterbird & seabird populations have been declining for decades—but are we using the right baselines for restoration?

A study by @TourduValat & @UniTurku shows many species were already in decline before the 1970s, posing a shifting baseline risk for 28 species.

bit.ly/48aAvpB

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · 20d

New study finds river otters 🦦 prey on seabirds across 73 North American islands!

🔹 Otters prefer small burrow-nesting seabirds
🔹 They’ll swim up to 8 km across open water to reach colonies
🔹 Most attacks occur on nearshore islands

Full study: bit.ly/4mhJZCz

bit.ly

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · 21d

The Westland petrel is defying the odds! Breeding only on NZ‘s mainland, these seabirds show resilience: ~70% breeding success, lifespan over 40 yrs, even with predators & food challenges. But numbers remain steady—not growing. bit.ly/4nFHco5

Fiesty Westland petrel defies the odds

Defying the odds in a country where 90 per cent of seabirds are threatened with extinction, the feisty Westland petrel is hanging on in its colony near Punakaiki on the South Island’s West Coast.

bit.ly

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · 21d

Newell’s shearwaters & Hawaiian petrels rely on moonlight to fledge (15 Sep–15 Dec), but bright lights disorient them. The Dark Skies programme helps protect them by shielding lights, banding birds & raising awareness. 🌙🐦
📖

Pacific Missile Range Facility aids in protecting threatened seabirds on Kauaʻi | Maui Now

The annual fledging of Newell's shearwaters (ʻAʻo) and Hawaiian petrels (ʻUaʻu) on Kauaʻi starts Sept. 15 and runs through Dec. 15, marking a critical period for two of Hawaiʻi's most threatened…

bit.ly

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · Sep 5

The study “Tracking HPAIV H5 through a geographic survey of Antarctic seabird populations” surveyed 13 breeding sites in the Antarctic from Dec 2023–Jan 2024. Findings suggest the first suspected HPAI H5 cases on the continent, potentially in two new seabird species. bit.ly/4pkI4Aa

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · Sep 5

💩 How seabird poop fuels island lizards!

New research shows lizards on Gulf of California islands rely on marine nutrients from guano—especially on dry, small islands near seabird colonies.

bit.ly/3HRCOTJ

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · Sep 4

While filming seabird takeoffs, Dr. Leo Uesaka found something unexpected: 195 mid-air poops. 💩✈️

Turns out, streaked shearwaters prefer to defecate in flight—possibly to stay clean & avoid predators.

📄 Published in Current Biology bit.ly/4pb4CmQ
#Seabirds #MarineEcology #Ornithology

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · Sep 4

🪶 13 miles off Peru’s coast, the Chincha Islands were once at the heart of the 19th-century Guano Rush—where laborers died for fertilizer.

Today, they remain guarded, with guano still traded on the black market.

📸 Nick Ballon tells the story via @GemFletcher 👉 bit.ly/4e6wQdc

#Peru #Seabirds

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · Sep 3

📣 Call for Virtual Symposia & Workshops – due 15 Sept 2025!
Join us at #WSC4 in Hobart, Tasmania 🇦🇺 – featuring a Hybrid-Only Day on 11 Sept 2026 🌍

📧 Submit to: [email protected]

🔗 bit.ly/4e6wQdc

#WorldSeabirdConference #SeabirdConservation

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · Aug 30

Seabird–fishing interactions are understudied in West Africa—despite high seabird diversity & intensive fishing.

A new study using high-resolution tracking reveals that >70% of seabirds come within 30 km of vessels.

Read more: bit.ly/4g2vNfp

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · Aug 29

The Pacific Seabird Group Awards Committee is now accepting nominations for the 2025 recipients of:

🌟 Lifetime Achievement Award
🌟 Special Achievement Award

Deadline: Sept 1, 2025
Learn more: bit.ly/3HWK3cT

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · Aug 29

The #PSG2026 Scientific Program Committee is accepting proposals for workshops, symposia & round-tables!

🗓️ Deadline: Sept 1, 2025
📅 Virtual meeting: Feb 23–27, 2026
📧 [email protected]

🔗 Submit: bit.ly/4oYWq93

#Seabirds #Ornithology

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · Aug 21

🐧 After months of rehab, 9 African penguins & 1 Cape Cormorant were released back into the wild by @SANCCOB! 💙

With African penguins now critically endangered, every release counts.
Thank you, SANCCOB, for giving seabirds a second chance. 🌊

bit.ly/47bvtbX

#Conservation #Penguins

Nine African Penguins return to the wild in SANCCOB’s latest release

Nine African penguins and a Cape Cormorant were released back into the wild by SANCCOB after months of rehabilitation.

bit.ly

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · Aug 14

🐦 Seabirds are sentinels of ocean health. Join us at WSC 4: Wings of Adaptation: Seabirds in a Changing Climate 🌊🌍

📍 Hobart, Tasmania | 🗓️ 7–11 Sept 2026
📝 Proposals due 15 Aug 2025
🔗 bit.ly/4e6wQdc

#WSC4 #SeabirdScience #ClimateChange

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · Aug 12

🌍 Seabirds are at risk from human development + climate change.

🐦 Researchers used YOLOv8 + behavioral data to detect, count & ID terns in dense colonies — >90% accuracy, just 2% error vs manual counts.

🔗 bit.ly/4oxBpSF

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · Aug 12

🚨 Deadline Extended!
Submit your #WSC4 symposium/workshop proposal by 15 Aug 2025 🐦🌍

📅 7–11 Sept 2026
📍 Hobart, Tasmania
Theme: Wings of Adaptation: Seabirds in a Changing Climate

📝 Email 1-page summary to:
📧 [email protected]
🔗

Call for Symposia and Workshops WSC4

Wings of Adaptation: Seabirds in a Changing Climate Call for Symposia and Workshops Deadline extended to 15 August 2025 The call for symposia and workshops is now open! Deadline extended to 15 Augu…

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · Aug 7

Researchers from several universities and ZSL, supported by the Bertarelli Foundation, studied seabirds in the Indian Ocean. They used lightweight cameras on two red-footed boobies to observe their hunting of flying fish around their island habitat. [Read more](bit.ly/3UURYKx)

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · Aug 7

🌊 Proposal deadline for WSC4 extended to Aug 15 🐦
Help shape seabird science at “Wings of Adaptation: Seabirds in a Changing Climate”
📍 Hobart, TAS | 📅 Sept 7–11, 2026
📝 Submit: [email protected]
🔗 bit.ly/4e6wQdc
#WSC4 #SeabirdScience

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · Aug 1

New research on Taiwanese albacore longlines in the SE Atlantic tested 3 seabird bycatch measures:
🌙 Night setting cut bycatch to 0.046/1,000 hooks
⚖️ Weighted branch lines cut bycatch 61% but may reduce catch
🪶 BSLs help if bait sinks fast enough
🔗 bit.ly/459ppOd

Best practices for mitigating seabird bycatch on Taiwanese albacore longline fishing vessels operating in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean

Seabird bycatch—particularly involving albatrosses and petrels—remains a significant conservation concern in pelagic longline fisheries. This study ev…

bit.ly

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · Jul 31

🚨 Peru’s guano birds are in crisis.
Since 2022, populations of cormorants, pelicans & boobies have dropped 75%—from 4 million to 500,000.

📉 Causes:
🦠 Avian flu (2022)
🌊 El Niño (2023)
🎣 Overfishing (2024)

Details 👉 bit.ly/44RzqAS
#Seabirds #ClimateCrisis #MarineConservation

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · Jul 31

Happy #WorldRangerDay!
Today we honor rangers protecting nature & culture worldwide — including seabird habitats. 🌊🐦
Thank you for your dedication!
Tag your favorite ranger & show some love 💚
#WorldRangerDay2025 #SeabirdConservation #WorldSeabirdUnion

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World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · Jul 30

🇦🇷 Investigadores en Patagonia estudiaron la segregación sexual del Cormorán Imperial durante la incubación. Con GPS, TDR e isótopos estables, hallaron diferencias entre sexos en áreas y patrones de alimentación, sin cambios isotópicos.
🔗 bit.ly/40Dvy3Z
@gamycpatagonia.bsky.social

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