Puffinus yelkouan

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Bibliography

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	PROCELLARIIFORMES	PROCELLARIIDAE

Scientific Name:

Puffinus yelkouan

Species Authority:

(Acerbi, 1827)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Yelkouan Shearwater

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Near Threatened ver 3.1

Year Published:

2010

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Calvert, R., Butchart, S., Bird, J.

Contributor/s:

Corso, A., Bourgeois, K., Borg, J., McMinn, M., Petkov, N.

Justification:
Although the population is probably larger than some estimates suggest, reports of extremely low breeding success at several key breeding colonies indicate that current declines may accelerate markedly when current breeders approach the end of their life cycle, and may be moderately rapid over three generations, hence justifying its precautionary uplisting to Near Threatened. Declines have probably been ongoing for many years, and are projected to continue.

History:

2008	–	Near Threatened
2004	–	Least Concern
1994	–	Not Recognized
1988	–	Not Recognized

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Puffinus yelkouan is endemic to the Mediterranean basin, but its precise distribution is not well known and numbers are disputed¹. It is known to breed in Spain (Balearic Islands) (100-150 pairs), France (395-536 pairs), Italy (7,000-14,000 pairs), Malta (1,400-1,560 pairs), Greece (1,000-2,000 pairs), Bulgaria (0-10 pairs), Albania (1-10 pairs), Croatia (250-300 pairs), Turkey (1,000-30,000 pairs) and Algeria (8-10 pairs)¹, giving a global estimate of 10,815-53,574 pairs. However, this may be an over-estimate given the lack of surveys at supposed large colonies (e.g. Turkey) and the imprecision and error associated with at-sea surveys¹. Further breeding grounds may exist off the coasts of Turkey and Tunisia, where thousands of birds congregate during the breeding season. The populations in Italy, Greece, Albania and Croatia are thought to be stable, but the Maltese colonies are decreasing. The few known colonies are small, and all harbour populations of introduced rats and/or cats, with a total of nine colonies becoming extinct over the last 60 years¹. Most worryingly, breeding success at many colonies appears to be extremely low, which suggests significant future declines are likely. The population may have declined by 1,500 - 2,500 breeding pairs over the past 60 years¹..
Countries:	Native: Albania; Algeria; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Croatia; Cyprus; Egypt; France; Georgia; Gibraltar; Greece; Israel; Italy; Lebanon; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Malta; Morocco; Palestinian Territory, Occupied; Romania; Russian Federation; Slovenia; Spain; Syrian Arab Republic; Tunisia; Turkey; Ukraine Vagrant: Austria Present - origin uncertain: Monaco; Montenegro; United Kingdom
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Figures point to a total of 14,700-52,000 pairs (Tucker and Heath 1994). In Europe (which covers >95% of the breeding range), the breeding population is estimated to be 13,000-33,000 breeding pairs, equating to 39,000-99,000 individuals (BirdLife International 2004). This suggests a world population in the order of 100,000 individuals, a figure that will remain little more than speculation until knowledge of any Turkish colonies improves (Brooke 2004).
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Population:

Figures point to a total of 14,700-52,000 pairs (Tucker and Heath 1994). In Europe (which covers >95% of the breeding range), the breeding population is estimated to be 13,000-33,000 breeding pairs, equating to 39,000-99,000 individuals (BirdLife International 2004). This suggests a world population in the order of 100,000 individuals, a figure that will remain little more than speculation until knowledge of any Turkish colonies improves (Brooke 2004).

Population Trend:

Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It breeds on rocky coastal and offshore islets, and on the mainland. In the non-breeding season it disperses widely within the Mediterranean and Black Seas, often congregating in large flocks⁴.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	At least seven breeding colonies have gone extinct in recent decades, probably as a consequence of harvesting and predation by rats¹. Rattus rattus is present on all islands with P. yelkouan colonies, and may dramatically reduce breeding success during rat population peaks¹. On the Tavolara archipelago, Italy, the colony size has been much reduced in the last 30 years and vast sectors of the islands have been deserted; breeding success was assessed for the first time in 2006 and it was found to be zero (due to rat predation) in several colonies². Feral cats Felis catus are a major threat. On the Hyères islands (French Mediterranean coast), feral cats have been identified as the primary predator of the species: shearwater remains were found in up to 6% of cat scats, representing hundreds of adults killed each year, especially during the pre-breeding period¹. Harvesting of the species was frequent until the 1980s at most sites, but is now very limited and the species is now legally protected¹. Increasing tourism and coastal urbanisation in the Mediterranean create sound and light disturbances at colonies and damage fragile breeding habitats¹. In the 1970s, net bycatches off the south-east French coast were estimated at 800 per year. Dead shearwaters are regularly found with signs of netting. More recently, some shearwater deaths by longlines have also been reported in the Gulf of Lyons, in the Straits of Bonifacio, in Italian waters and around Malta¹. At-sea mortality is a major cause of the dramatic decline of the closely related P. mauretanicus and may be similarly affecting P. yelkouan. Breeding success may be affected by reduced abundance of anchovies and sprats due to competition from fisheries¹. Oil spills are an increasing risk due to increased maritime traffic in the Mediterranean¹.

Major Threat(s):

At least seven breeding colonies have gone extinct in recent decades, probably as a consequence of harvesting and predation by rats¹. Rattus rattus is present on all islands with P. yelkouan colonies, and may dramatically reduce breeding success during rat population peaks¹. On the Tavolara archipelago, Italy, the colony size has been much reduced in the last 30 years and vast sectors of the islands have been deserted; breeding success was assessed for the first time in 2006 and it was found to be zero (due to rat predation) in several colonies². Feral cats Felis catus are a major threat. On the Hyères islands (French Mediterranean coast), feral cats have been identified as the primary predator of the species: shearwater remains were found in up to 6% of cat scats, representing hundreds of adults killed each year, especially during the pre-breeding period¹. Harvesting of the species was frequent until the 1980s at most sites, but is now very limited and the species is now legally protected¹. Increasing tourism and coastal urbanisation in the Mediterranean create sound and light disturbances at colonies and damage fragile breeding habitats¹. In the 1970s, net bycatches off the south-east French coast were estimated at 800 per year. Dead shearwaters are regularly found with signs of netting. More recently, some shearwater deaths by longlines have also been reported in the Gulf of Lyons, in the Straits of Bonifacio, in Italian waters and around Malta¹. At-sea mortality is a major cause of the dramatic decline of the closely related P. mauretanicus and may be similarly affecting P. yelkouan. Breeding success may be affected by reduced abundance of anchovies and sprats due to competition from fisheries¹. Oil spills are an increasing risk due to increased maritime traffic in the Mediterranean¹.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Conservation Actions Underway EU Birds Directive Annex I; Annex II of the Bern Convention. An EU Life/BirdLife Malta project aimed at conserving a colony of c. 500 pairs at Rdum tal-Madonna, Malta, is underway. Conservation Actions Proposed Carry out population censuses at breeding colonies, particularly those in Sardinia, Sicily and Greece. Search for reported colonies at sites in Turkey and Greece. Research ecological requirements and carry out extensive demographic monitoring. Research the impact of introduced predators across breeding range. Quantify extent of mortality from accidental bycatch. As a precaution, control or if possible eradicate feral cats and rats at breeding colonies.

Conservation Actions:

Conservation Actions Underway
EU Birds Directive Annex I; Annex II of the Bern Convention. An EU Life/BirdLife Malta project aimed at conserving a colony of c. 500 pairs at Rdum tal-Madonna, Malta, is underway.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Carry out population censuses at breeding colonies, particularly those in Sardinia, Sicily and Greece. Search for reported colonies at sites in Turkey and Greece. Research ecological requirements and carry out extensive demographic monitoring. Research the impact of introduced predators across breeding range. Quantify extent of mortality from accidental bycatch. As a precaution, control or if possible eradicate feral cats and rats at breeding colonies.

Bibliography [top]

	Bourgeois, K. and Vidal, E. 2008. The endemic Mediterranean yelkouan shearwater Puffinus yelkouan: distribution, threats and a plea for more data. Oryx 42(2): 187-194. Snow, D. W.; Perrins, C. M. 1998. The Birds of the Western Palearctic vol. 1: Non-Passerines. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Bourgeois, K. and Vidal, E. 2008. The endemic Mediterranean yelkouan shearwater Puffinus yelkouan: distribution, threats and a plea for more data. Oryx 42(2): 187-194.

Snow, D. W.; Perrins, C. M. 1998. The Birds of the Western Palearctic vol. 1: Non-Passerines. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2010. Puffinus yelkouan. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 22 May 2012.
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