#Seabirds

Revolutionary research published in Current Biology has fundamentally transformed scientific understanding of seabird behavior and its ecological implications for coastal environments worldwide. Japanese scientists using innovative belly-mounted cameras documented that streaked shearwaters defecate almost exclusively while flying, never while resting on water surfaces, contradicting decades of assumptions about marine bird physiology and behavior.

This discovery carries profound implications for Thailand’s extensive coastlines, coral reef systems, and marine tourism industry, where understanding nutrient cycling, disease transmission pathways, and ecological relationships between seabirds and coastal environments affects millions of visitors, fishing communities, and conservation efforts across the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea regions.

Researchers found streaked shearwaters defecate almost always while flying. The finding appears in Current Biology and surprised the research team (Current Biology DOI).

This discovery matters to beachgoers and coastal managers. The behavior affects nutrient flows and disease risks near shores.

Scientists attached small cameras to the bellies of 15 streaked shearwaters. The devices recorded nearly 36 hours of footage and 195 defecation events (ScienceNews, Gizmodo).

The birds excreted at regular intervals. The typical interval was every four to ten minutes (New York Times).

A new study reframes how Thailand’s coastlines, coral reefs, and marine life are sustained. Research indicates that flying seabirds provide a steady nutrient input to surface waters as they defecate mid-flight, fertilizing the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. This finding highlights natural processes that support Thailand’s vibrant marine ecosystems and tourism-dependent communities.

In a collaboration between researchers from a Japanese university and Thai scholars, lightweight belly-mounted cameras recorded 195 defecation events across 36 hours of seabird flight. The observations reveal that streaked shearwaters and similar species defecate almost exclusively while in flight, a behavior that creates regular aerial nutrient pulses over the sea.