Researchers made flying harder for Alaskan Seabirds; only 67% returned, survivors bred better

Researchers clipped a few wing and tail feathers of wild Alaskan kittiwakes (AI enhanced image. Credit: Nature Counts) Researchers who clipped a few wing and tail feathers of wild black-legged kittiwakes in Alaska to make flying harder, have found that the effects lasted well beyond a single breeding season. The birds struggled to raise chicks that year, with only 67% returning to the breeding colony the following year. Researchers also found that those that did return were more likely to breed successfully after travelling farther during migration.The study was carried out by an international team led by researchers from Nagoya University in Japan. They followed 251 black-legged kittiwakes on Middleton Island, Alaska, between 2021 and 2024 to understand how extra energy demands during breeding affect the birds later in the year. The findings have been published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Science X reported.The researchers say the study provides rare experimental evidence that animals can change how they use their energy across different stages of the year. They call this ability 'energetic flexibility', which means an animal can adjust how it divides its available ...