Dr Fiona McDuie

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

I have spent the past 5 years studying a population on Heron Island in the southern Great Barrier Reef (GBR). This colony is part of the Capricorn Bunker seabird community which is the largest seabird population on the GBR.

My projects have focused on evolutionary ecology and the growth and development of chicks under changing food resource levels. I am currently immersed in my PhD which is examining the impacts of environmental and climate-driven processes and changes on the food resources and foraging ecology of these birds.

We work with GBR Marine Parks to assist in management and conservation of the seabirds of the GBR. Wedge-tailed shearwaters are protected under Australia's Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.