Three spatio-temporal foraging scales of wedge-tailed shearwaters. Black is migration foraging grounds are represented by: black = non-breeding migration; blue = long-trip locations used during breeding; red = near-colony locations for chick-provisioning
Three spatio-temporal foraging scales of wedge-tailed shearwaters. Black is migration foraging grounds are represented by: black = non-breeding migration; blue = long-trip locations used during breeding; red = near-colony locations for chick-provisioning

Great Barrier Reef breeding shearwaters forage at three spatial and temporal scales.

 

During the non-breeding period, they migrate to a foraging ground in the tropical northern hemisphere.

 

When breeding, their dual-foraging pattern takes them on long-trips to distant locations throughout the Coral Sea for self-provisioning, while they remain near the colony to obtain food for chick-provisioning.