An analysis of the recoveries of British-ringed fulmars

Abstract

Examination of 300 recovery records of Fulmars ringed in Britain allowed the distribution and movements of birds of known age to be described. Biases in the methods of recovery made estimation of mortality impossible. Soon after fledging, birds disperse from British waters to the western North Atlantic, Norwegian Sea, and European Arctic waters. In the fourth year, the distribution contracts, coinciding with the peak return of pre-breeding birds to land. Adults are restricted to the eastern North Atlantic, North Sea and European Arctic, moving several hundred kilometres from their colonies at all seasons.