Advancing conservation for Abbott’s Booby

Abbott’s Booby (Papasula abbotti) is one of the world’s rarest and most evolutionarily distinct seabirds, confined to a single breeding population of ~2,500 pairs on Christmas Island. Once widespread across the Indian and Pacific Oceans, it has been lost from nearly all former range sites due to hunting, habitat loss, and now faces ongoing threats and an extinction crisis. Despite decades of research, the species’ population trend remains unknown, and survival of newly independent juveniles is likely a key bottleneck to recovery.

This project will deliver the first insight into the at-sea ecology and survival of juvenile Abbott’s Boobies—an essential step toward securing the species’ future. I will deploy lightweight satellite transmitters on juveniles prior to fledging to track their dispersal, foraging behaviour, and mortality over 6–12 months. Using integrated dive and mortality sensors, I will identify where, when, and why fledglings die, revealing drivers of early-life mortality. I will then assess overlap between Abbott’s Booby movements and commercial fisheries using Global Fishing Watch data to pinpoint areas of bycatch and prey depletion risk.

These findings will close critical knowledge gaps on juvenile survival and marine threats, directly informing conservation strategies for this Endangered species. By revealing key at-sea habitats, the project will guide management across the Indian Ocean and strengthen efforts to preserve a keystone species vital to Christmas Island’s unique biodiversity.