 |
| Great black-backed gull - breeding performance harmed by thoracic harness-tagging |
DOES attaching harness mounted data tags to birds risk causing more harm than good?
It has often been assumed that minimal, if any, disadvantage is caused to birds when these devices are attached by researchers.
However, a new study of one particular species - the great black-backed gull - indicates that the reverse might be the case.
Birds with thoracic harness attachments had significantly lower breeding success - with fewer eggs and lower hatching rates - than untagged birds.
The data was collected from 34 gulls nesting on the Isle of May National Nature Reserve in the Firth of Forth, during the 2021 and 2022 breeding seasons.
It had previously been known that harnesses carry risks to the birds due to the possibility of entanglement, constriction or abrasion of skin or feathers from the materials.
In addition, a high level of skill is required to fit them properly.
But the impact on breeding performance apparently represents a worrying new discovery - one which may have implications for other species.
It was additionally noted that a harness attachment "potentially caused the death of one birds five days after deployment".
The findings are documented in a paper by Samuel Langlois Lopez, Gary D. Clewley, Daniel T. Johnston, Francis Daunt, Jared M. Wilson, Nina J. O'Hanlon, Elizabeth Masden.
This has been published today on the website of the British Ornithologists' Union.
They state: "Overall, the harness attachment was a lead driver of nest failure.
"We urge extreme caution for those wanting to use harness-mounted devices on great black-backed gulls."
No comments:
Post a Comment