Researchers made flying harder for Alaskan seabirds by clipping some wing and tail feathers; only 67% returned the next year, but the survivors were more likely to breed successfully

• Researchers clipped a few wing and tail feathers of wild Alaskan kittiwakes (AI enhanced image.
• Credit: Nature Counts)Researchers who clipped a few wing and tail feathers of wild black-legged kittiwakes in Alaska to make flying harder, have found that the effects lasted well beyond a single breeding season.
• The birds struggled to raise chicks that year, with only 67% returning to the breeding colony the following year.