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https://theconversation.com/more-shearwaters-are-washing-up-dead-on-australian-beaches-its-not-due-to-natural-causes-242768>
"You might know the short-tailed shearwater and sable shearwater by the common
name “muttonbirds”. These two species of seabird breed on islands off
southeastern Australia. Both undertake a breathtaking two-week, non-stop flight
across the Pacific to the Bering Sea, more than 10,000 km away near Alaska and
Russia. Here, they spend the northern summer.
Shearwaters have to survive often-ferocious conditions. Researchers using
tracking technology found a shearwater flying inside the eye of a hurricane for
11 hours at an altitude of 4,700 m and winds exceeding 200 km/hr. The bird
lived.
These remarkable birds have evolved special features such as tendons in their
shoulder joints allowing them to take advantage of intense winds. Rather than
being harmed, they use powerful winds to catapult them vast distances while
expending minimal energy.
This is why it’s puzzling when many people – and wildlife agencies – blame
strong winds or “migration” for the increasing numbers of dead shearwaters seen
on Australian beaches.
In our new research, we point to the real cause of deaths in Australian waters:
starvation linked to climate change. Researchers overseas have also pinpointed
ocean warming as a key factor in mass deaths of seabirds."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
