Researchers utilized biologging technology to study the movements, activity patterns, and feeding behaviors of two species of Southern Ocean albatrosses to determine their responses to severe weather conditions. The findings indicated that although albatrosses have adapted to efficiently travel using the wind, both species faced challenges in locating food during stormy weather.
Albatrosses are highly mobile birds that harness the wind to travel vast distances, sometimes covering hundreds of thousands of miles in search of squid, fish, and other marine life found close to the ocean’s surface.
Some of the larger albatross species depend so heavily on wind currents that they find it difficult to take off when the weather is calm.
A recent international study headed by researchers from the University of Liverpool’s School of Environmental Science has uncovered that there is a point at which the advantages provided by the wind cease to be beneficial.
Published in the journal Current Biology, the research indicates that even though these birds are incredible fliers, two albatross species faced significant challenges finding food during intense storm conditions, which made locating prey risky.
The research team examined data collected at South Georgia, located in the southwest Atlantic Ocean. By using small tracking devices installed by researchers from the British Antarctic Survey, they were able to determine when the birds were resting, flying, or feeding. Additionally, they analyzed satellite data concerning wind, rain, and water clarity to identify when the albatrosses experienced stormy conditions.
Jamie Darby, who was the lead author of the paper while at the University of Liverpool and is currently at University College Cork, commented: “This combined data set serves as a powerful resource for understanding albatross behavior, particularly since observing them directly can be quite challenging.”
“On multiple occasions, we tracked wandering albatrosses soaring in extremely strong storm winds. During these periods, the data showed that the albatrosses hardly fed at all. Not only did they not manage to eat, but they also had to land and take off more frequently.”
Co-author Dr. Ewan Wakefield from Durham University provided insight into this behavior: “The albatrosses appear to evade severe winds by landing on the water, but they cannot rest for extended periods, likely due to the strong winds causing waves to crash over them regularly.”
Wandering albatrosses boast the largest wingspan of any bird, reaching up to 3.4 meters, designed for effective flight in the winds of the Southern Ocean. Due to this adaptation, albatrosses have not been considered particularly vulnerable to storms, which are expected to occur more frequently and intensively in the Southern Ocean as a result of climate change. However, recent studies have challenged this perspective, providing instances of albatrosses intentionally avoiding the strongest winds within storm systems.
Dr. Samantha Patrick, an ecologist from the University of Liverpool and the principal investigator of the project, added: “This study helps us understand animal behavior in environments and conditions where direct observation is nearly impossible, such as during extreme weather events like storms in the Southern Ocean. Gaining insight into how animals behave and cope during such conditions is crucial for understanding the impact of environmental changes on their lives.”
This new research suggests that even these wind-adapted albatrosses may be at risk from increasingly severe winds, as they are more likely to encounter situations that complicate or jeopardize their ability to find food.