Maltese Researchers Track Shearwater Pre-Egg Laying Movement For 1st Time

Researchers from Malta have, for the first time, tracked the movements of Scopoli's Shearwaters during the critical period before egg-laying, revealing that the seabirds travel hundreds of kilometres across the Mediterranean in preparation for breeding.

The study, published in the international ornithological journal Ardeola, focused on the species' pre-laying behaviour, a stage that had never previously been monitored.

Scopoli's Shearwaters, known in Maltese as Ċief, are endemic to the Mediterranean, with around 3,000 pairs nesting on the Maltese Islands.

Using lightweight GPS devices attached to the birds, ornithologists Marie Claire Gatt, Benjamin Metzger, Paulo Lago and Martin Austad discovered that females spend more than 20 days at sea before laying their single annual egg.

During this period, they gather the nutrients needed to develop the egg, which appears to consume most of the energy they acquire.

Male birds also undertake lengthy foraging trips lasting around 15 days. However, they return to the nest with sufficient reserves to incubate the egg for about a week while fasting, allowing females to return to sea and recover.

The research found that the birds frequently forage far beyond Maltese waters, travelling to areas off Tunisia, Libya and Italy.

The findings highlight the international nature of conservation efforts required to protect the species, which faces threats including fisheries bycatch, overfishing and marine pollution.

Researchers also identified risks closer to home. Eggs can be vulnerable to invasive rats when left unattended, particularly when females return to sea before males arrive back at the nest.

The study underscores Malta's responsibility to safeguard one of its most important seabird populations.

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