Colony-Site Selection Drives Management Priorities for Yelkouan Shearwater Populations

Abstract: We tested whether colony-site availability could allow for an increase in the unusually small breeding populations of yelkouan shearwater (Puffinus yelkouan) on the islands of the Port-Cros National Park (France) if feral cat eradication were undertaken. Comparisons between colony and noncolony sites indicated yelkouan shearwaters preferred deep-soiled and low-outcrop-covered coastal sites. A substrate cover, light avoidance, and sea proximity model suggested that 17.5% of unoccupied sites are suitable for colony establishment. The low proportion of suitable sites currently used by yelkouan shearwaters suggests that these colonies could be refuges and that feral cat eradication will probably lead to a breeding population increase.