Overview

• Researchers fitted 15 streaked shearwaters with rear-mounted cameras and documented 195 of 196 defecation events occurring while airborne.
• Study birds relieved themselves every four to ten minutes, averaging more than five excretions per hour over open water.
• Analysis of collected droppings estimates each bird expels about 5 percent of its bodyweight per hour, revising upward nutrient-transport models.
• Authors propose untested drivers for the behavior, including pre-flight weight reduction, cloacal hygiene, predator avoidance and biomechanical facilitation.
• The team will map droppings at sea and repeat the experiment with species such as albatross to assess ecological impacts and disease transmission patterns.