Technological and analytical innovation in seabird research

WILSON, R.P.; QUINTANA, F.; SALA, J.E.; SHEPARD, E.L.C.; GÓMEZ LAICH, A.

Victoria

Conferencia; First World Seabird Conference; 2010

Pacific Seabird Group

Almost all seabird work focused on studies on land, primarily due to the difficulties of following birds at sea. The subsequent use of recording devices on free-living seabirds led to startling insights into bird performance, particularly with regard to depth use. Post-1980, rapid advances in solidstate technology led to a plethora of new devices being increasingly used to examine the physiology, behaviour and ecology of free-living birds. This work describes the genesis and development of bird-attached recording systems and examines how this has radically changed the way we perceive how these animals operate in their demanding environment.