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Volume 17
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10.3390/d17080526
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Article

Audouin’s Gull Colony Itinerancy: Breeding Districts as Units for Monitoring and Conservation

by
Massimo Sacchi
1,*,
Barbara Amadesi
1,
Adriano De Faveri
1,
Gilles Faggio
2,
Camilla Gotti
1,
Arnaud Ledru
3,
Sergio Nissardi
4,
Bernard Recorbet
3,
Marco Zenatello
1 and
Nicola Baccetti
1
1
Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), Via Ca’ Fornacetta 9, 40064 Ozzano dell’Emilia, Italy
2
Office de l’Environnement de la Corse, Avenue Jean Nicoli, F-20250 Corte, France
3
Conservatoire d’Espaces Naturels de Corse (CEN de Corse) 871 Avenue de Borgo, F-20290 Borgo, France
4
Anthus s.n.c., via Luigi Canepa 22, 09129 Cagliari, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Diversity 2025, 17(8), 526; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17080526
Submission received: 10 June 2025 / Revised: 4 July 2025 / Accepted: 22 July 2025 / Published: 28 July 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology, Diversity and Conservation of Seabirds—2nd Edition)
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

We investigated the spatial structure and colony itinerancy of Audouin’s gull (Ichthyaetus audouinii) adult breeders across multiple breeding sites in the central Mediterranean Sea during 25 years of fieldwork. Using cluster analysis of marked individuals from different years and sites, we identified five spatial breeding units of increasing hierarchical scale—Breeding Sites, Colonies, Districts, Regions and Marine Sectors—which reflect biologically meaningful boundaries beyond simple geographic proximity. To determine the most appropriate scale for monitoring local populations, we applied multievent capture–recapture models and examined variation in survival and site fidelity across these units. Audouin’s gulls frequently change their location at the Breeding Site and Colony levels from one year to another, without apparent survival costs. In contrast, dispersal beyond Districts boundaries was found to be rare and associated with reduced survival rates, indicating that breeding Districts represent the most relevant biological unit for identifying local populations. The survival disadvantage observed in individuals leaving their District likely reflects increased extrinsic mortality in unfamiliar environments and the selective dispersal of lower-quality individuals. Within breeding Districts, birds may benefit from local knowledge and social information, supporting demographic stability and higher fitness. Our findings highlight the value of adopting a District-based framework for long-term monitoring and conservation of this endangered species. At this scale, demographic trends such as population growth or decline emerge more clearly than when assessed at the level of singular colonies. This approach can enhance our understanding of population dynamics in other mobile species and support more effective conservation strategies aligned with natural population structure.
Keywords: colony mobility; Audouin’s gull; breeding site fidelity; population monitoring; seabird conservation colony mobility; Audouin’s gull; breeding site fidelity; population monitoring; seabird conservation

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MDPI and ACS Style

Sacchi, M.; Amadesi, B.; De Faveri, A.; Faggio, G.; Gotti, C.; Ledru, A.; Nissardi, S.; Recorbet, B.; Zenatello, M.; Baccetti, N. Audouin’s Gull Colony Itinerancy: Breeding Districts as Units for Monitoring and Conservation. Diversity 2025, 17, 526. https://doi.org/10.3390/d17080526

AMA Style

Sacchi M, Amadesi B, De Faveri A, Faggio G, Gotti C, Ledru A, Nissardi S, Recorbet B, Zenatello M, Baccetti N. Audouin’s Gull Colony Itinerancy: Breeding Districts as Units for Monitoring and Conservation. Diversity. 2025; 17(8):526. https://doi.org/10.3390/d17080526

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sacchi, Massimo, Barbara Amadesi, Adriano De Faveri, Gilles Faggio, Camilla Gotti, Arnaud Ledru, Sergio Nissardi, Bernard Recorbet, Marco Zenatello, and Nicola Baccetti. 2025. "Audouin’s Gull Colony Itinerancy: Breeding Districts as Units for Monitoring and Conservation" Diversity 17, no. 8: 526. https://doi.org/10.3390/d17080526

APA Style

Sacchi, M., Amadesi, B., De Faveri, A., Faggio, G., Gotti, C., Ledru, A., Nissardi, S., Recorbet, B., Zenatello, M., & Baccetti, N. (2025). Audouin’s Gull Colony Itinerancy: Breeding Districts as Units for Monitoring and Conservation. Diversity, 17(8), 526. https://doi.org/10.3390/d17080526

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