Wednesday, 19 November 2025

Presenter: Devin R. de Zwaan

A decade of seabird research on Triangle Island: movement ecology of Tufted Puffin and Rhinoceros Auklet
Just north of Vancouver Island sits Triangle Island, a globally significant seabird site supporting the largest southern colony of Tufted Puffin, over 1 million Cassin’s Auklet (>30% of global population), and substantial numbers of Rhinoceros Auklet. Triangle Island is surrounded by the Scott Islands Marine National Wildlife Area, established as the first of its kind under the Canada Wildlife Act, acknowledging this area’s importance to seabirds. Environment and Climate Change Canada research scientists have been tracking the movement behaviour and habitat selection of these seabirds since 2014 to understand population-level risk from changing ocean temperatures, prey availability, as well as environmental emergencies, like oil spills. With a focus on Tufted Puffin and Rhinoceros Auklet, I will outline what we have learned over the years about how these species use the marine environment differently, share recent data on diving depth that adds a new dimension to our understanding of habitat use, and highlight how these takeaways fit in to the broader research environment along the British Columbian coast.