Influence of migratory behaviour on the morphology and breeding biology of Puffinus Shearwaters

Ecological, life-history, breeding biology and morphologic data were collected for 18 shearwater species Puffinus spp., and the relationships between these parameters and migratory behaviour were investigated. Intraspecific variation in relative wing length was associated with differences in migratory behaviour of the Little Shearwater Puffinus assimilis populations, but not the Wedge-tailed Shearwater P. pacificus. This study emphasises the need for long-term studies, which are generally lacking, to be able to estimate robust breeding and demographic parameters from populations of long-lived seabird species such as those in the Puffinus genus

Bull, L.S., Marine Ornithology 34: 25-31.