Dr Fiona McDuie

Wedge-tailed shearwaters are Procellariiformes which are diverse, numerous and breed in tropical, sub-tropical, temperate and arctic regions. Being so wide-spread makes them excellent indicator species of impacts in the marine environment to a wide variety of seabirds.

I spent 6 years studying a population on Heron Island in the southern Great Barrier Reef (GBR) as well as populations on Lord Howe Island and New Caledonia . This colony is part of the Capricorn Bunker seabird community - the largest seabird population on the GBR.

My projects have focused on foraging ecology, Oceanographic influences, trophic cascades, habitats, population biology and evolutionary ecology. My Honours prjoject studied the growth and development of chicks under changing food resource levels. My PhD examined the impacts of environmental and climate-driven processes and changes on the food resources and foraging ecology of these birds.

I worked closely with GBR Marine Parks to assist in management and conservation of the seabirds of the GBR and contributed to establishment of the Coral Sea Marine Park. Wedge-tailed shearwaters are protected under Australia's Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.