Main objective
To assess productivity, chick mortality, clutch size and failure reasons of one or two species of seabirds, Audouin’s Gull Larus audouinii and Little Tern Sternula albifrons, that breed in Ria Formosa sandy islands, Algarve, Portugal.
Available data
Data collection will take place on Faro and Barreta/Deserta Islands. Students will get training on species identification and data collection. They will take part in the seasonal monitoring of both populations, mainly during chick rearing period. Visits to each colony will take place every 2-3 days. Students will also have the opportunity to join the annual census and chick ringing campaigns. Data collected in previous years will be made available for analysis.
Proposed tasks
- Daily visits to seabird colonies for monitoring and data collection
- Analysis of available
- Submit the work in a peer-reviewed journal (e.g. Airo)
Framework of the topic
- Is the topic part of an ongoing project/study? Yes – funded project
- Is there any financial support? Yes: fieldwork/material
Supervisor/tutor
Nuno Oliveira, Departamento de Conservação Marinha | nuno.oliveira@spea.pt
