During their first flights from the nest, nocturnal procellariiform fledglings are susceptible to becoming stranded in human settlements near their breeding colonies, and evidence suggests that these strandings result from attraction toward artificial lights at night (ALAN). We suggest it is also possible that fledgling strandings are a by-product of natural dispersal (null hypothesis), and additionally propose three alternative hypotheses in our paper: i) Attraction to anthropogenic noise, considering that other studies have observed strandings sometimes occurring in dark locations near noisy machinery; ii) Attraction to anthropogenic olfactory stimuli (e.g., sulfur-based compounds; fish offal) that are known to attract procellariiforms in both experimental and field conditions, and often co-occur with ALAN (e.g., sewage and sewage treatment plants; fish processing plants); and iii) Disruption of magnetoreception (a navigational mechanism) by certain wavelengths of light, given that magnetoreception disruption by ALAN has been previously observed in passerines and there is some evidence to suggest that fledgling procellariiforms may rely on magnetoreception for navigation more so than adults. Populations of many nocturnal procellariiform species are currently threatened, so there is a need to further investigate and mitigate stranding-induced mortality. The goal of our review was not to refute the light attraction hypothesis but to inspire the expansion, acceleration and diversification of research efforts on the causes of seabird strandings. More info at: Brown TM, Wilhelm SI, Mastromonaco GF, Burness G (2023) A path forward in the investigation of seabird strandings attributed to light attraction. Conservation Science and Practice
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