Foraging range and feeding locations of shags Phalacrocorax aristotelis during chick rearing.

We used radio-tracking techniques to determine the foraging range and feeding locations used by individual Shags Phalacrocorax aristotelis during chick rearing on the Isle of May, Scotland. The mean (±s.d.) foraging range was 7.o±1.9 km (maximum 17 km) and there were no significant sex or year differences. All feeding sites were within 7 km of land. Most (> 90%) were either within 2 km of the colony or in two discrete areas 5–13 km to the north and west. Use of the areas varied between years with both males and females making more use of the north area in 1987 than either 1988 or 1989. Birds used > 11% of the area of sea within the maximum recorded feeding range. This restricted distribution appeared to be related to water-depth and bottom sediment type. Shags fed most frequently in water 21–40 m deep, with a bottom of either gravel and sand, or rock with thin patchy sediment cover.