The Bermuda Zoological is presenting a free lecture on the Bermuda Longtail by head aquarist Patrick Talbot.

The lecture is set to take place in the Education Auditorium at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo (BAMZ), tomorrow at 7 p.m.

Mr. Talbot will be talking about nest types, location and what percentage of the nests have shown breeding success.

He has been studying the Longtails as part of his master?s degree thesis through the University College Cork in the Republic of Ireland. His thesis is called ?A Breeding Success Survey of a Population of White-Tailed Tropicbirds (Phaethon lepturus catesbyii) in Castle Harbour, Bermuda?.

Mr. Talbot has been an aquarist at BAMZ for 13 years and began researching Longtails four years ago.

?The White-Tailed Tropic bird or Longtail is an important cultural icon in Bermuda,? he said.

?It is often associated with the rebirth of spring and a farewell to winter, meaning hello to good weather and tourists!?

Bermuda has the largest population of this Longtail subspecies in the world, said Mr. Talbot.

?An estimated 2,000 pairs nest here, which is believed to be down from over 10,000 in pre-colonial times,? he said.

?Four times as many may nest in the Caribbean, but that encompasses all of the Caribbean islands. Any detrimental success in Bermuda could affect the world-wide population.?

During his studies, Mr. Talbot has surveyed selected Longtail nest sites on nine islands in the Castle Harbour Nature Reserve to determine the percentage of breeding success. His study should help determine if the Longtail numbers are in decline and may also answer a number of questions about the Longtail such as the age of maturity, global population mixing and site fidelity. The study involved monthly visits from March to October to all of the Castle Harbour islands over a three year period, surveying approximately 225 nest sites.

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