Global Marine Flyways Identified for Long‐Distance Migrating Seabirds From Tracking Data

Morten, Joanne M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5783-9777; Carneiro, Ana P. B. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0573-7549; Beal, Martin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1654-1410; Bonnet‐Lebrun, Anne‐Sophie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7587-615X; Dias, Maria P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7281-4391; Rouyer, Marie‐Morgane ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4915-7191; Harrison, Autumn‐Lynn ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6213-1765; González‐Solís, Jacob ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8691-9397; Jones, Victoria R.; Garcia Alonso, Virginia A.; Antolos, Michelle; Arata, Javier A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7320-0511; Barbraud, Christophe ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0146-212X; Bell, Elizabeth A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1587-8241; Bell, Mike; Bose, Samhita; Broni, Sharyn; de L Brooke, Michael; Butchart, Stuart H. M.; Carlile, Nicholas ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5241-6102; Catry, Paulo ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3000-0522; Catry, Teresa; Charteris, Matt; Cherel, Yves ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9469-9489; Clark, Bethany L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5803-7744; Clay, Thomas A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0644-6105; Cole, Nik C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6632-0726; Conners, Melinda G.; Debski, Igor; Delord, Karine; Egevang, Carsten; Elliot, Graeme; Esefeld, Jan; Facer, Colin; Fayet, Annette L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6373-0500; Fijn, Ruben C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6233-2954; Fischer, Johannes H.; Franklin, Kirsty A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5004-9740; Gilg, Olivier ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9083-4492; Gill, Jennifer A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0167-6857; Granadeiro, José P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7207-3474; Guilford, Tim; Handley, Jonathan M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6468-338X; Hanssen, Sveinn A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1792-435X; Hawkes, Lucy A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6696-1862; Hedd, April ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2222-2627; Jaeger, Audrey ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5649-0315; Jones, Carl G.; Jones, Christopher W.; Kopp, Matthias; Krietsch, Johannes ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8080-1734; Landers, Todd J.; Lang, Johannes ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7387-795X; Le Corre, Matthieu ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1194-351X; Mallory, Mark L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2744-3437; Masello, Juan F.; Maxwell, Sara M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4425-9378; Medrano, Fernando ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4064-5471; Militão, Teresa ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2862-1592; Millar, Craig D.; Moe, Børge ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2306-1899; Montevecchi, William A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9286-1363; Navarro‐Herrero, Leia ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6725-8354; Neves, Verónica C.; Nicholls, David G.; Nicoll, Malcolm A. C.; Norris, Ken; O'Dwyer, Terence W. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1376-2093; Parker, Graham C.; Peter, Hans‐Ulrich; Phillips, Richard A.; Quillfeldt, Petra; Ramos, Jaime A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9533-987X; Ramos, Raül ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0551-8605; Rayner, Matt J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1168-6699; Rexer‐Huber, Kalinka ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3345-7990; Ronconi, Robert A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3635-7162; Ruhomaun, Kevin; Ryan, Peter G.; Sagar, Paul M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6861-9235; Saldanha, Sarah ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0084-1929; Schmidt, Niels M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4166-6218; Schultz, Hendrik ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8926-2100; Shaffer, Scott A.; Stenhouse, Iain J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3614-9862; Takahashi, Akinori ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9868-0408; Tatayah, Vikash; Taylor, Graeme A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9546-4980; Thompson, David R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0635-5876; Thompson, Theo; van Bemmelen, Rob ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0688-7058; Vicente‐Sastre, Diego; Vigfúsdottir, Freydís ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2162-837X; Walker, Kath J.; Watts, Jim; Weimerskirch, Henri; Yamamoto, Takashi; Davies, Tammy E. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2535-1328. 2025 Global Marine Flyways Identified for Long‐Distance Migrating Seabirds From Tracking Data. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 34 (2). 17, pp. 10.1111/geb.70004

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Text (Open Access) © 2025 The Author(s). Global Ecology and Biogeography published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Global Ecology and Biogeography - 2025 - Morten - Global Marine Flyways Identified for Long‐Distance Migrating Seabirds.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives 4.0. Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract/Summary

Aim: To identify the broad‐scale oceanic migration routes (‘marine flyways’) used by multiple pelagic, long‐distance migratory seabirds based on a global compilation of tracking data. Location: Global. Time Period: 1989–2023. Major Taxa Studied: Seabirds (Families: Phaethontidae, Hydrobatidae, Diomedeidae, Procellariidae, Laridae and Stercorariidae). Methods: We collated a comprehensive global tracking dataset that included the migratory routes of 48 pelagic and long‐distance migrating seabird species across the Atlantic, Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans. We grouped individuals that followed similar routes, independent of species or timings of migration, using a dynamic time warping clustering approach. We visualised the routes of each cluster using a line density analysis and used knowledge of seabird spatial ecology to combine the clusters to identify the broad‐scale flyways followed by most pelagic migratory seabirds tracked to‐date at an ocean‐basin scale. Results: Six marine flyways were identified across the world's oceans: the Atlantic Ocean Flyway, North Indian Ocean Flyway, East Indian Ocean Flyway, West Pacific Ocean Flyway, Pacific Ocean Flyway and Southern Ocean Flyway. Generally, the flyways were used bidirectionally, and individuals either followed sections of a flyway, a complete flyway, or their movements linked two or more flyways. Transhemispheric figure‐of‐eight routes in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and a circumnavigation flyway in the Southern Ocean correspond with major wind ‐ driven ocean currents. Main Conclusions: The marine flyways identified demonstrate that pelagic seabirds have similar and repeatable migration routes across ocean‐basin scales. Our study highlights the need to account for connectivity in seabird conservation and provides a framework for international cooperation.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1111/geb.70004
ISSN:	1466-822X
Additional Keywords:	biologging,conservation, ecological connectivity, flyways, migration, seabirds
Date made live:	17 Feb 2025 13:27 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/538917

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