South Carolina Project: Tracking Atlantic and Caribbean Seabirds

South Carolina Project

Tracking Atlantic and Caribbean Seabirds

January 2014 - December 2023

Personnel

Participating Agencies

SE Region
CESU
Clemson University Institute for Parks
Neotropical Bird Club
FWS R4

Black-capped Petrel captured in the Gulf Stream off Cape Hatteras, NC

The Caribbean and Bahamas support ~ 25 species of breeding seabirds. Despite the regions importance to seabird conservation and diversity, seabirds there have been very understudied particularly with respect to migratory connectivity throughout the Atlantic. Our goal has been to steadily increase baseline data on the spatial ecology of seabirds in the region by partnering with local NGOs to build local capacity.

To date, we have collected tracking data from several species of pelagic seabirds in Mexico, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, The Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, St Eustatius and Tobago in collaboration with federal agencies, and local Universities and NGOs. One particular focus of our research in the region has been to expand research and baseline data on the endangered Black-capped Petrel. The species is endemic to the region, nesting at only a few sites on Hispaniola. Considered globally endangered, the species is under review for listing by the US FWS. We are conducting research on movement ecology, diet, and reproductive ecology with local partners and to date have conducted the only tracking efforts for this species.

Research Publications

Research Publications	Publication Date
Jodice, P.G.R., R.A. Ronconi, E. Rupp, G.E. Wallace, Y. Satge. 2015. First satellite tracks of the endangered Black-capped Petrel. Endangered Species Research 29:23-33. doi: 10.3354/esr00697 \| Abstract \| Download	November 2015	The Black-capped Petrel is an endangered seabird with fewer than 2,000 breeding pairs restricted to three confirmed breeding sites in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. To date, use areas at sea have been determined entirely from vessel-based surveys and opportunistic sightings and, as such, spatial and temporal gaps in our understanding of the species’ marine range are likely. To enhance our understanding of marine use areas we deployed satellite tags on three Black-capped Petrels breeding in the Sierra de Bahoruco National Park in the Dominican Republic along the border with Haiti, representing the first tracking study for this species and one of the first tracking studies for any breeding seabird in the Caribbean. During chick-rearing, petrels primarily used marine habitats in the southern Caribbean Sea, between the breeding site and the coasts of Venezuela and Colombia. Maximum distance from the breeding sites ranged from ca. 500 – 1500 km during the chick-rearing period. During the post-breeding period, each bird dispersed north and used waters west of the Gulf Stream offshore of the mid- and southern Atlantic coasts of the USA, as well Gulf Stream waters and deeper pelagic waters east of the Gulf Stream in the vicinity of the Blake Spur and Charleston Bump. Maximum distance from the breeding sites ranged from ca. 2000 – 2200 km among birds during the nonbreeding period. In total, petrels used waters located within 14 different exclusive economic zones suggesting that evolving management strategies for this species will be benefitted by continued international collaboration.
Zaluski, S., L.M. Soanes, J.A. Bright, A. George, P.G.R. Jodice, K. Meyer, N. Woodfield-Pascoe, J.A. Green. 2019. Potential threats facing a globally important population of the magnificent frigatebird. Tropical Zoology 32: 188-201. /doi/full/10.1080/03946975.2019.1682352 \| Download	December 2019
Wilkinson, B.P., A.M. Haynes-Sutton, L. Meggs, and P.G.R Jodice. 2020. High spatial fidelity among foraging trips of Masked Boobies from Pedro Bank, Jamaica. PLoOS ONE 15(4): e0231654. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231654 \| Download	April 2020
Poli, C.L., A-L. Harrison, A. Vallarino, P.D. Gerard, Jodice, P.G.R. 2017. Dynamic oceanography predicts fine scale foraging behavior of Masked Boobies in the Gulf of Mexico. PLoS ONE 12(6): e0178318. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0178318	April 2017
Ramos, R., N. Carlile, J. Madeiros, I. Ramirez, V. Paiva, H. Dinis, F. Zino, M. Biscoito, G. Leal, L. Bugoni, P.G.R. Jodice, P.G. Ryan, J. Gonzalez-Solis. 2017. The time for oceanic seabirds: tracking year-round distribution of gadfly petrels across the Atlantic Ocean. Diversity and Distributions.	May 2017
Ramos, R., V.H. Paiva, Z. Zajkova, C. Precheur, A.I. Fagundes, P.G.R. Jodice, W. Mackin, V. Neves, F. Zino, V. Bretagnolle, J. Gonzalez-Solis. 2020. Spatial ecology of closely related taxa: the case of the little shearwater complex in the North Atlantic Ocean. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society XX 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa045 \| Download	May 2020
Satgé, Y.G., E. Rupp, A. Brown, and P.G.R Jodice. 2020. Habitat modelling locates nesting areas of the Endangered Black-capped Petrel Pterodroma hasitata on Hispaniola and identifies habitat loss. Bird Conservation International 1-18. doi:10.1017/S0959270920000490 \| Download	November 2020
Satgé, Y.G., E. Rupp, and P.G.R. Jodice. 2019. A preliminary report of ongoing research of the ecology of Black-capped Petrel (Pterodroma hasitata) in Sierra de Bahoruco, Dominican Republic – I: GPS tracking of breeding adults. Unpublished Report, South Carolina Cooperative Research Unit, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA.	June 2019
Madden, H., M. Leopold, F. Rivera-Milan, K. Verdel, E. Eggermont, P.G.R. Jodice. Reproductive success of Red-billed Tropicbirds on St. Eustatius, Caribbean Netherlands is affected by temporal and oceanographic factors, but not by factors at the nest site. Waterbids. \| Download	December 2022
Madden, H., Y.G. Satgé, B.P. Wilkinson, P.G.R. Jodice. 2022. Foraging ecology of Red-billed Tropicbirds in the Caribbean during early chick-rearing revealed by GPS tracking. Marine Ornithology 50:165-175. \| Download	November 2022
Jodice, P.G.R., P.E. Michael, J.S. Gleason, J.C. Haney, Y.G. Satgé. 2021. Revising the marine range of the endangered black-capped petrel Pterodroma hasitata: Occurrence in the northern Gulf of Mexico and exposure to conservation threats. Endangered Species Research. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr001143. \| Abstract \| Download	September 2021	The black-capped petrel (<i>Pterodroma hasitata</i>) is an endangered seabird endemic to the western north Atlantic. Although estimated at ~1,000 breeding pairs, only ~100 nests have been located at two sites in Haiti and three sites in the Dominican Republic. At sea, the species primarily occupies waters of the western Gulf Stream in the Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea. Due to limited data, there is currently not a consensus on the geographic marine range of the species although no current proposed ranges include the Gulf of Mexico. Here, we report on observations of black-capped petrels during two vessel-based survey efforts throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico from 2010 - 2011 and from 2017 - 2019. During 558 days and ~54,700 km of surveys we tallied 40 black-capped petrels. Most observations occurred in the eastern Gulf, although birds were observed over much of the east-west and north-south footprint of the survey area. Predictive models indicated that habitat suitability for black-capped petrels was highest in areas associated with dynamic waters of the Loop Current. We used the Extent of Occurrence (EOO) and Area of Occupancy (AOO) concepts to delimit the geographic range of the species within the northern Gulf of Mexico. We suggest that the marine range for black-capped petrels be modified to include the northern Gulf of Mexico, recognizing that distribution may be more clumped in the eastern Gulf and that occurrence in the southern Gulf remains unknown due to a lack of surveys there. To date, however, it remains unclear which nesting areas are linked to the Gulf of Mexico.

Presentations

Presentations	Presentation Date
Jodice, P.G.R., W. Mackin, Y. Satge, C. Poli*, A-L. Harrison, R.A Phillips. 2014. Bahamian seabirds transition from Caribbean to mid-latitude and pelagic waters between the breeding and nonbreeding seasons. Pacific Seabird Group Annual Meeting, Juneau, Alaska.	February 2014
Mackin, W., Narang, D., P.G.R. Jodice. 2016. Incubation and diving depths of Audubon’s Shearwaters and Red-billed Tropicbirds at Little Tobago Island, Trinidad and Tobago. The Waterbird Society, New Bern, North Carolina.	September 2016
Jodice, P.G.R., M. Woodrey, and A. Fournier. 2018. Movement ecology of seabirds: Multi-scale and multi-taxa approaches to addressing conservation needs in the Gulf of Mexico. Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Mobile, Alabama.	October 2018
Jodice, P.G.R., J. Gleason, J.C. Haney, Y. Satgé, P. Michael, C. Gaskin, B. Keitt. 2021. Revising the marine range of the endangered Black-capped Petrel. 6th World Seabird Twitter Conference.	May 2021
Satgé, Y.G.^, J.S. Lamb, and P.G.R. Jodice. 2019. Using near real-time nighttime light imagery to locate existent seabird exposure to active oil and gas extraction. 43rd Annual Conference of the Waterbird Society Annual Meeting, Maryland, USA.	November 2019
Satgé, Y.^, E. Rupp., and P.G.R. Jodice. 2019. Individual tracking informs exposure of the endangered Black-capped Petrel to marine threats during the breeding season. Pacific Seabird Group Meeting, Lihue, HI, USA	March 2019
Satgé, Y., and P.G.R. Jodice. 2020. Looking for the devil's nest: Modelling the nesting habitat of the endangered Black-capped Petrel in the Caribbean. 6th World Seabird Twitter Conference.	May 2020
Jodice, P. G. R., Y.G. Satgé, B. Keitt, C. Gaskin. 2019. First successful capture and satellite tagging of Black-capped Petrels at sea and subsequent movement patterns. 43rd Annual Conference of the Waterbird Society 43rd Annual Conference and General Meeting, Salisbury, Maryland.	November 2019
Harrison, A-L., C. Poli, P.G.R. Jodice. 2014. Multi-scale habitat modeling in seabirds provides opportunities for conservation action. North American Congress for Conservation Biology, Missoula, Montana	July 2014

Theses and Dissertations

Theses and Dissertations	Publication Date
Poli, C. 2014. Spatial Ecology of Pelecaniformes. MS Thesis Clemson University	December 2014
Madden, H. 2017. Reproductive Ecology of Red-billed Tropicbirds. University of West Indies.	December 2017

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: South Carolina Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources