Norman Ratcliffe

Seabird Ecologist

Contact

Tel +44 (0) 1223 221219

Team

General enquiries

For general enquiries please see our contact page.

Norman Ratcliffe

Seabird Ecologist

Biography

I was born in Alton Staffordshire, in 1968, and even as a toddler had a fascination with wildlife: I spent most of my childhood birdwatching and pond dipping. I studied Zoology for my degree in Manchester, before becoming a PhD student at Glasgow supervised by Bob Furness, where I studied population ecology of great skuas in Shetland. I then spent a short spell collecting and analysing seabird transect data for JNCC in Aberdeen before becoming RSPBs’ seabird biologist for the following 13 years. Whilst there I conducted research to help inform RSPBs policy and management regarding seabirds, particularly demographic studies throughout the Atlantic region (including the Azores, Cape Verde, Tristan da Cunha and Greenland). I worked two consecutive winters lecturing on cruise ships in the Antarctic for Quark Expeditions, visiting most of the South Shetlands, northern Antarctic Peninsula and the north coast of South Georgia. I began work for BAS in 2008 and have developed a diverse portfolio of research on penguins, shags and auks.

Research interests

My key research interests are in seabird population and foraging ecology and how these are influenced by oceanographic processes, fisheries interactions, competition and predation. My main goal is to deliver excellent research that has significant applied benefits in terms of informing conservation policy and management, including that relating to climate change, marine protected areas, invasive species and fisheries.
I currently study the foraging and population ecology of high latitude diving seabirds at British Antarctic Survey, focusing on penguins, shags and auks. The work mainly involves collecting data using hi-tech tracking equipment which are subjected to advanced statistical modelling methods to elucidate migration patterns and foraging strategies. Current projects include:
1. Niche partitioning among penguins in the South Atlantic
2. Niche partitioning among breeding Alcids in Arctic Norway
3. Individual specialisation in diving behaviour and diet in blue-eyed shags
4. Relationships between foraging behaviour, habitat use and diet in gentoo penguins.
5. Winter movements of king penguins
6. Development of marine protected areas for macaroni penguins around the UK and French OTs
7. Macaroni penguin demography

Collaborations

I currently have collaborations with the Universities of Glasgow, Exeter, Liverpool, Reading, Cape Town, Nelson Mandela (South Africa), Coimbra (Portugal) and the research institute CNRS (France). I also have links to government departments and NGOs, including RSPB, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Falklands Conservation, Tristan Conservation, Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and CCAMLR.

See a list of my publications on Google Scholar:

http://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&view_op=list_works&gmla=AJsN-F4-oPqENxQD_VMc_ctHrwGAKgx1Sc4hbme8kKfdrhaxZKqPoZzNfkdRdBJ3VSuv02fq8C7T8rzhKWMUIho7bBt12y2dlA&user=qUBQ_tAZKUYC

Publications from NERC Open Research Archive

2025

Saunders, R.A. , Ratcliffe, N. , Farrell, E.D., Clarke, M.W.. (2025) Migration and space use by porbeagle sharks Lamna nasus in the northeast Atlantic. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 755 (). 20 pp. 10.3354/meps14786

Bonnet-Lebrun, A.-S., Matthiopoulos, J., Lemaire-Patin, R., Deville, T., Barrett, R., Bogdanova, M. I. , Bolton, M., Christensen-Dalsgaard, S., Daunt, F. , Dehnhard, N., Descamps, S., Elliott, K., Erikstad, K.E., Frederiksen, M., Gilchrist, G., Harris, M. , Kolbeinsson, Y., Linnebjerg, J.F., Lorentsen, S-H., Mallory, M., Merkel, F., Mosbech, A., Owen, E., Patterson, A., Pratte, I., Strøm, H., Þórarinsson, Þ.L., Wanless, S. , Ratcliffe, N. . (2025) Drivers of interspecific spatial segregation in two closely-related seabird species at a Pan-Atlantic scale. Journal of Biogeography, 52 (). 14 pp. 10.1111/jbi.15042

2024

Bennison, Ashley , Adlard, Stacey, Banyard, Ashley C., Blockley, Freya, Blyth, Marcia, Brown, Emma, Day, George , Dunn, Michael J. , Falchieri, Marco, Fitzcharles, Elaine, Forcada, Jaume , Forster Davidson, Jennifer, Fox, Anthony, Hall, Rosamund, Holmes, Elizabeth, Hughes, Kevin , James, Joe, Lynton-Jenkins, Joshua, Marshall, Steve, McKenzie, Dan, Morley, Simon A. , Reid, Scott M., Stubbs, Isabel, Ratcliffe, Norman , Phillips, Richard A.. (2024) A Case Study of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 At Bird Island, South Georgia: The First Documented Outbreak in the Subantarctic region. Bird Study, (). 12 pp. 10.1080/00063657.2024.2396563

2023

Dewar, Meagan, Wille, Michelle, Gamble, Amandine, Vanstreels, Ralph E.T., Bouliner, Thierry, Smith, Adrian, Varsani, Arvind, Ratcliffe, Norman , Black, Jennifer, Lynnes, Amanda, Barbosa, Andrés, Hart, Tom. (2023) The risk of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the Southern Ocean: a practical guide for operators and scientists interacting with wildlife. Antarctic Science, 35 (). 8 pp. 10.1017/S0954102023000342

Edney, A.J., Hart, T., Jessopp, M.J., Banks, A., Clarke, L.E., Cugniere, L., Elliot, K.H., Martinez, I.J., Kilcoyne, A., Murphy, M., Nager, R.G., Ratcliffe, N. , Thompson, D.L., Ward, R.M., Wood, M.J.. (2023) Best practices for using drones in seabird monitoring and research. Marine Ornithology, 51 (). 16 pp.

Fretwell, Peter T. , Boutet, Aude, Ratcliffe, Norman . (2023) Record low 2022 Antarctic sea ice led to catastrophic breeding failure of emperor penguins. Communications: Earth & Environment, 4 (). 6 pp. 10.1038/s43247-023-00927-x

Green, Cara‐Paige, Green, David B., Ratcliffe, Norman , Thompson, David, Lea, Mary‐Anne, Baylis, Alastair M. M., Bond, Alexander L., Bost, Charles‐André, Crofts, Sarah, Cuthbert, Richard J., González‐Solís, Jacob, Morrison, Kyle W., Poisblau, Maud, Pütz, Klemens, Rey, Andrea Raya, Ryan, Peter G., Sagar, Paul M., Steinfurth, Antje, Thiebot, Jean‐Baptiste, Tierney, Megan, Whitehead, T. Otto, Wotherspoon, Simon, Hindell, Mark A.. (2023) Potential for redistribution of post‐moult habitat for Eudyptes penguins in the Southern Ocean under future climate conditions. Global Change Biology, 29 (). 20 pp. 10.1111/gcb.16500

2022

Nicoll, Malcolm A. C., Cole, Nik C., Horswill, Catherine, Jones, Carl G., Ratcliffe, Norman , Ruhomaun, Kevin, Tatayah, Vikash, Norris, Ken. (2022) No detectable effect of geolocator deployment on the short‐ or long‐term apparent survival of a tropical seabird. Ibis, 164 (). 12 pp. 10.1111/ibi.13094

Patterson, Allison, Gilchrist, H. Grant, Benjaminsen, Sigurd, Bolton, Mark, Bonnet-Lebrun, Anne-Sophie, Davoren, Gail K., Descamps, Sébastien, Erikstad, Kjell Einar, Frederiksen, Morten, Gaston, Anthony J., Gulka, Julia, Hentati-Sundberg, Jonas, Huffeldt, Nicholas Per, Johansen, Kasper Lambert, Labansen, Aili Lage, Linnebjerg, Jannie Fries, Love, Oliver P., Mallory, Mark L., Merkel, Flemming Ravn, Montevecchi, William A., Mosbech, Anders, Olsson, Olof, Owen, Ellie, Ratcliffe, Norman , Regular, Paul M., Reiertsen, Tone Kristin, Ropert-Coudert, Yan, Strøm, Hallvard, Thórarinsson, Thorkell Lindberg, Elliott, Kyle H.. (2022) Foraging range scales with colony size in high-latitude seabirds. Current Biology, 32 (). pp. 10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.084

Franklin, Kirsty A., Nicoll, Malcolm A.C., Butler, Simon J., Norris, Ken, Ratcliffe, Norman , Nakagawa, Shinichi, Gill, Jennifer A.. (2022) Individual repeatability of avian migration phenology: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Journal of Animal Ecology, 91 (). 15 pp. 10.1111/1365-2656.13697

Rawlence, Nicolas J., Salis, Alexander T., Spencer, Hamish G., Waters, Jonathan M., Scarsbrook, Lachie, Mitchell, Kieren J., Phillips, Richard A., Calderón, Luciano, Cook, Timothée R., Bost, Charles‐André, Dutoit, Ludovic, King, Tania M., Masello, Juan F., Nupen, Lisa J., Quillfeldt, Petra, Ratcliffe, Norman , Ryan, Peter G., Till, Charlotte E., Kennedy, Martyn. (2022) Rapid radiation of Southern Ocean shags in response to receding sea ice. Journal of Biogeography, 49 (). pp. 10.1111/jbi.14360

Tarling, Geraint , Abrahamsen, Povl , Lucas, Natasha , Brearley, Alexander , Fleming, Andrew , Shepherd, Andrew, Liszka, Cecilia , Manno, Clara , Murphy, Eugene , Meredith, Michael , Ratcliffe, Norman , Braakmann-Folgmann, Anne, Gerrish, Laura . (2022) The birth and death of ‘megaberg’ A68. The Marine Biologist, 22 (). pp.

Franklin, Kirsty A., Norris, Ken, Gill, Jennifer A., Ratcliffe, Norman , Bonnet-Lebrun, Anne-Sophie, Butler, Simon J., Cole, Nik C., Jones, Carl G., Lisovski, Simeon, Ruhomaun, Kevin, Tatayah, Vikash, Nicoll, Malcolm A. C.. (2022) Individual consistency in migration strategies of a tropical seabird, the Round Island petrel. Movement Ecology, 10 (). 14 pp. 10.1186/s40462-022-00311-y

Green, Cara-Paige, Ratcliffe, Norman , Mattern, Thomas, Thompson, David, Lea, Mary-Anne, Wotherspoon, Simon, Borboroglu, Pablo Garcia, Ellenberg, Ursula, Morrison, Kyle W., Pütz, Klemens, Sagar, Paul M., Seddon, Philip J., Torres, Leigh G., Hindell, Mark A.. (2022) The role of allochrony in influencing interspecific differences in foraging distribution during the non-breeding season between two congeneric crested penguin species. PLOS ONE, 17 (). 22 pp. 10.1371/journal.pone.0262901

Bonnet-Lebrun, Anne-Sophie, Larsen, Thomas, Thórarinsson, Thorkell Lindberg, Kolbeinsson, Yann, Frederiksen, Morten, Morley, Tim I., Fox, Derren, Boutet, Aude, Le Bouard, Fabrice, Deville, Tanguy, Hansen, Erpur Snær, Hansen, Thomas, Roberts, Patrick, Ratcliffe, Norman . (2022) Cold comfort: Arctic seabirds find refugia from climate change and potential competition in marginal ice zones and fjords. Ambio, 51 (). pp. 10.1007/s13280-021-01650-7

2021

Baylis, A.M.M., de Lecea, A.M., Tierney, M., Orben, R.A., Ratcliffe, N. , Wakefield, E., Catry, P., Campioni, L., Costa, M., Boersma, P.D., Galimberti, F., Granadeiro, J.P., Masello, J.F., Pütz, K., Quillfeldt, P., Rebstock, G.A., Sanvito, S., Staniland, I.J. , Brickle, P.. (2021) Overlap between marine predators and proposed Marine Managed Areas on the Patagonian Shelf. Ecological Applications, 31 (). 16 pp. 10.1002/eap.2426

Proud, R., Le Guen, C., Sherley, R.B., Kato, A., Ropert-Coudert, Y., Ratcliffe, N. , Jarman, S., Wyness, A., Arnould, J.P.Y., Saunders, R.A. , Fernandes, P.G., Boehme, L., Brierley, A.S.. (2021) Using Predicted Patterns of 3D Prey Distribution to Map King Penguin Foraging Habitat. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8 (). 18 pp. 10.3389/fmars.2021.745200

Bonnet-Lebrun, Anne-Sophie, Larsen, Thomas, Frederiksen, Morten, Fox, Derren, Le Bouard, Fabrice, Boutet, Aude, Þórarinsson, Þorkell Lindberg, Kolbeinsson, Yann, Deville, Tanguy, Ratcliffe, Norman . (2021) Effects of competitive pressure and habitat heterogeneity on niche partitioning between Arctic and boreal congeners. Scientific Reports, 11 (). 8 pp. 10.1038/s41598-021-01506-w

Jones, Kayleigh A. , Ratcliffe, Norman , Votier, Stephen C., Lisovski, Simeon, Bonnet-Lebrun, Anne-Sophie, Staniland, Iain J. . (2021) Sexual segregation in juvenile Antarctic fur seals. Oecologia, 197 (). pp. 10.1007/s00442-021-04983-y

Verhoeven, M.A., Smart, J., Kitchin, C., Schmitt, S., Whiffin, M., Burgess, M., Ratcliffe, N. . (2021) Diagnosing the recent population decline of black-tailed godwits in the United Kingdom. Wader Study, 128 (). pp. 10.18194/ws.00216

Dunn, M.J. , Adlard, S., Taylor, A.P., Wood, A.G., Trathan, P.N. , Ratcliffe, N. . (2021) Un-crewed aerial vehicle population survey of three sympatrically breeding seabird species at Signy Island, South Orkney Islands. Polar Biology, 44 (). pp. 10.1007/s00300-021-02831-6

Ratcliffe, Norman , Deagle, Bruce, Love, Kieran, Polanowski, Andrea, Fielding, Sophie , Wood, Andrew G., Hill, Simeon , Grant, Susie , Belchier, Mark , Fleming, Andrew , Hall, Jonathan. (2021) Changes in prey fields increase the potential for spatial overlap between gentoo penguins and a krill fishery within a marine protected area. Diversity and Distributions, 27 (). pp. 10.1111/ddi.13216

2020

Steinfurth, A., Oppel, S., Dias, M.P., Starnes, T., Pearmain, E.J., Dilley, B.J., Davies, D., Nydegger, M., Bell, C., Le Bouard, F., Bond, A.L., Cuthbert, R.J., Glass, T., Makhado, A.B., Crawford, R.J.M., Ryan, P.G., Wanless, R.M., Ratcliffe, N. . (2020) Important marine areas for the conservation of northern rockhopper penguins within the Tristan da Cunha Exclusive Economic Zone. Endangered Species Research, 43 (). 12 pp. 10.3354/esr01076

Jones, Kayleigh A. , Baylis, Alastair M.M., Orben, Rachael A., Ratcliffe, Norman , Votier, Stephen C., Newton, Jason, Staniland, Iain . (2020) Stable isotope values in South American fur seal pup whiskers as proxies of year-round maternal foraging ecology. Marine Biology, 167 (). 11 pp. 10.1007/s00227-020-03760-4

Requena, S., Oppel, S., Bond, A. L., Hall, J., Cleeland, J., Crawford, R. J. M., Davies, D., Dilley, B. J., Glass, T., Makhado, A., Ratcliffe, N. , Reid, T. A., Ronconi, R. A., Schofield, A., Steinfurth, A., Wege, M., Bester, M., Ryan, P. G.. (2020) Marine hotspots of activity inform protection of a threatened community of pelagic species in a large oceanic jurisdiction. Animal Conservation, 23 (). pp. 10.1111/acv.12572

Handley, Jonathan M., Pearmain, Elizabeth J., Oppel, Steffen, Carneiro, Ana P. B., Hazin, Carolina, Phillips, Richard A., Ratcliffe, Norman , Staniland, Iain J. , Clay, Thomas A., Hall, Jonathan, Scheffer, Annette, Fedak, Mike, Boehme, Lars, Pütz, Klemens, Belchier, Mark , Boyd, Ian L., Trathan, Phil N. , Dias, Maria P., Santini, Luca. (2020) Evaluating the effectiveness of a large multi-use MPA in protecting Key Biodiversity Areas for marine predators. Diversity and Distributions, 26 (). pp. 10.1111/ddi.13041

Jones, Kayleigh A. , Wood, Hannah, Ashburner, Jonathan P., Forcada, Jaume , Ratcliffe, Norman , Votier, Stephen C., Staniland, Iain J. . (2020) Risk exposure trade-offs in the ontogeny of sexual segregation in Antarctic fur seal pups. Behavioral Ecology, 31 (). pp. 10.1093/beheco/araa018

Ropert-Coudert, Yan, Van de Putte, Anton P., Reisinger, Ryan R., Bornemann, Horst, Charrassin, Jean-Benoît, Costa, Daniel P., Danis, Bruno, Hückstädt, Luis A., Jonsen, Ian D., Lea, Mary-Anne, Thompson, David, Torres, Leigh G., Trathan, Philip N. , Wotherspoon, Simon, Ainley, David G., Alderman, Rachael, Andrews-Goff, Virginia, Arthur, Ben, Ballard, Grant, Bengtson, John, Bester, Marthán N., Blix, Arnoldus Schytte, Boehme, Lars, Bost, Charles-André, Boveng, Peter, Cleeland, Jaimie, Constantine, Rochelle, Crawford, Robert J. M., Dalla Rosa, Luciano, Nico de Bruyn, P. J., Delord, Karine, Descamps, Sébastien, Double, Mike, Emmerson, Louise, Fedak, Mike, Friedlaender, Ari, Gales, Nick, Goebel, Mike, Goetz, Kimberly T., Guinet, Christophe, Goldsworthy, Simon D., Harcourt, Rob, Hinke, Jefferson T., Jerosch, Kerstin, Kato, Akiko, Kerry, Knowles R., Kirkwood, Roger, Kooyman, Gerald L., Kovacs, Kit M., Lawton, Kieran, Lowther, Andrew D., Lydersen, Christian, Lyver, Phil O’B., Makhado, Azwianewi B., Márquez, Maria E. I., McDonald, Birgitte I., McMahon, Clive R., Muelbert, Monica, Nachtsheim, Dominik, Nicholls, Keith W. , Nordøy, Erling S., Olmastroni, Silvia, Phillips, Richard A., Pistorius, Pierre, Plötz, Joachim, Pütz, Klemens, Ratcliffe, Norman , Ryan, Peter G., Santos, Mercedes, Southwell, Colin, Staniland, Iain , Takahashi, Akinori, Tarroux, Arnaud, Trivelpiece, Wayne, Wakefield, Ewan, Weimerskirch, Henri, Wienecke, Barbara, Xavier, José C. , Raymond, Ben, Hindell, Mark A.. (2020) The retrospective analysis of Antarctic tracking data project. Scientific Data, 7 (). pp. 10.1038/s41597-020-0406-x

Hindell, Mark A., Reisinger, Ryan R., Ropert-Coudert, Yan, Hückstädt, Luis A., Trathan, Philip N. , Bornemann, Horst, Charrassin, Jean-Benoît, Chown, Steven L., Costa, Daniel P., Danis, Bruno, Lea, Mary-Anne, Thompson, David, Torres, Leigh G., Van de Putte, Anton P., Alderman, Rachael, Andrews-Goff, Virginia, Arthur, Ben, Ballard, Grant, Bengtson, John, Bester, Marthán N., Schytte Blix, Arnoldus, Boehme, Lars, Bost, Charles-André, Boveng, Peter, Cleeland, Jaimie, Constantine, Rochelle, Corney, Stuart, Crawford, Robert J.M., Dalla Rosa, Luciano, de Bruyn, P.J. Nico, Delord, Karine, Descamps, Sébastien, Double, Mike, Emmerson, Louise, Fedak, Mike, Friedlaender, Ari, Gales, Nick, Goebel, Mike, Goetz, Kimberly T., Guinet, Christophe, Goldsworthy, Simon D., Harcourt, Rob, Hinke, Jefferson T., Jerosch, Kerstin, Kato, Akiko, Kerry, Knowles R., Kirkwood, Roger, Kooyman, Gerald L., Kovacs, Kit M., Lawton, Kieran, Lowther, Andrew D., Lydersen, Christian, Lyver, Phil O'B., Makhado, Azwianewi B., Márquez, Maria E.I., McDonald, Birgitte I., McMahon, Clive R., Muelbert, Monica, Nachtsheim, Dominik, Nicholls, Keith W. , Nordøy, Erling S., Olmastroni, Silvia, Phillips, Richard A., Pistorius, Pierre, Plötz, Joachim, Pütz, Klemens, Ratcliffe, Norman , Ryan, Peter G., Santos, Mercedes, Southwell, Colin, Staniland, Iain , Takahashi, Akinori, Tarroux, Arnaud, Trivelpiece, Wayne, Wakefield, Ewan, Weimerskirch, Henri, Wienecke, Barbara, Xavier, Jose C. , Wotherspoon, Simon, Jonsen, Ian D., Raymond, Ben. (2020) Tracking of marine predators to protect Southern Ocean ecosystems. Nature, 580 (). pp. 10.1038/s41586-020-2126-y

Hill, Simeon L. , Hinke, Jefferson, Bertrand, Sophie, Fritz, Lowell, Furness, Robert W., Ianelli, James N., Murphy, Matthew, Oliveros-Ramos, Ricardo, Pichegru, Lorien, Sharp, Rowland, Stillman, Richard A., Wright, Peter J., Ratcliffe, Norman . (2020) Reference points for predators will progress ecosystem-based management of fisheries. Fish and Fisheries, 21 (). pp. 10.1111/faf.12434

Jones, Kayleigh , Ratcliffe, Norman , Votier, Stephen C., Newton, Jason, Forcada, Jaume , Dickens, John, Stowasser, Gabriele , Staniland, Iain J. . (2020) Intra-specific niche partitioning in Antarctic fur seals, Arctocephalus gazella. Scientific Reports, 10 (). pp. 10.1038/s41598-020-59992-3

2019

Bessa, Filipa, Ratcliffe, Norman , Otero, Vanessa, Sobral, Paula, Marques, João C., Waluda, Claire M. , Trathan, Phil N. , Xavier, José C. . (2019) Microplastics in gentoo penguins from the Antarctic region. Scientific Reports, 9 (). 7 pp. 10.1038/s41598-019-50621-2

Baylis, Alastair M.M., Tierney, Megan, Orben, Rachael A., Warwick-Evans, Victoria , Wakefield, Ewan, Grecian, W. James, Trathan, Phil , Reisinger, Ryan, Ratcliffe, Norman , Croxall, John, Campioni, Letizia, Catry, Paulo, Crofts, Sarah, Boersma, P. Dee, Galimberti, Filippo, Granadeiro, Jose, Handley, Jonathan, Hayes, Sean, Hedd, April, Masello, Juan F., Montevecchi, Willliam A., Pütz, Klemens, Quillfeldt, Petra, Rebstock, Ginger A., Sanvito, Simona, Staniland, Iain J. , Brickle, Paul. (2019) Important At-Sea Areas of Colonial Breeding Marine Predators on the Southern Patagonian Shelf. Scientific Reports, 9 (). pp. 10.1038/s41598-019-44695-1

Clewlow, Harriet L. , Takahashi, Akinori, Watanabe, Shinichi, Votier, Stephen C., Downie, Rod, Ratcliffe, Norman . (2019) Niche partitioning of sympatric penguins by leapfrog foraging is resilient to climate change. Journal of Animal Ecology, 88 (). pp. 10.1111/1365-2656.12919

Seward, Adam, Ratcliffe, Norman , Newton, Stephen, Caldow, Richard, Piec, Daniel, Morrison, Paul, Cadwallender, Tom, Davies, Wesley, Bolton, Mark. (2019) Metapopulation dynamics of roseate terns: Sources, sinks and implications for conservation management decisions. Journal of Animal Ecology, 88 (). pp. 10.1111/1365-2656.12904

Ryan, Peter G., Dilley, Ben J., Risi, Michelle M., Jones, Christopher W., Osborne, Alexis, Schofield, Andy, Repetto, Julian, Ratcliffe, Norman . (2019) Three new seabird species recorded at Tristan da Cunha archipelago.. Seabird, 32 (). 4 pp.

Dias, M.P., Warwick-Evans, Victoria , Carneiro, A.P.B., Harris, C., Lascelles, B.G., Clewlow, Harriet L. , Manco, F., Ratcliffe, Norman , Trathan, Phil N. . (2019) Using habitat models to identify marine important bird and biodiversity areas for Chinstrap Penguins Pygoscelis antarcticus in the South Orkney Islands. Polar Biology, 42 (). pp. 10.1007/s00300-018-2404-4

2018

Oppel, Steffen, Bolton, Mark, Carneiro, Anna P.B., Dias, Maria P., Green, Jonathan A., Masello, Juan F., Phillips, Richard A., Owen, Ellie, Quillfeldt, Petra, Beard, Annalea, Bertrand, Sophie, Blackburn, Jez, Boersma, P. Dee, Borges, Alder, Broderick, Annette C., Catry, Paulo, Cleasby, Ian, Clingham, Elizabeth, Creuwels, Jeroen, Crofts, Sarah, Cuthbert, Richard J., Dallmeijer, Hanneke, Davies, Delia, Davies, Rachel, Dilley, Ben J., Dinis, Herculano Andrade, Dossa, Justine, Dunn, Michael J. , Efe, Marcio A., Fayet, Annette L., Figueiredo, Leila, Frederico, Adelcides Pereira, Gjerdrum, Carina, Godley, Brendan J., Granadeiro, José Pedro, Guilford, Tim, Hamer, Keith C., Hazin, Carolina, Hedd, April, Henry, Leeann, Hernández-Montero, Marcos, Hinke, Jefferson, Kokubun, Nobuo, Leat, Eliza, McFarlane Tranquilla, Laura, Metzger, Benjamin, Militao, Teresa, Monstrond, Gilson, Mullié, Wim, Padget, Oliver, Pearmain, Elizabeth, Pollet, Ingrid L., Puetz, Klemens, Quintana, Flavio, Ratcliffe, Norman , Ronconi, Robert A., Ryan, Peter G., Saldanha, Sarah, Shoji, Akiko, Sim, Jolene, Small, Cleo, Soanes, Louise, Takahashi, Akinori, Trathan, Phil , Trivelpiece, Wayne, Veen, Jan, Wakefield, Ewan, Weber, Nicola, Weber, Sam, Zango, Laura, Daunt, Francis , Ito, Motohiro, Harris, Michael P. , Newell, Mark A., Wanless, Sarah , González-Solís, Jacob, Croxall, John. (2018) Spatial scales of marine conservation management for breeding seabirds. Marine Policy, 98 (). pp. 10.1016/j.marpol.2018.08.024

Warwick-Evans, Victoria , Ratcliffe, Norman , Lowther, Andrew D., Manco, Fabrizio, Ireland, Louise , Clewlow, Harriet L. , Trathan, Phil N. . (2018) Using habitat models for chinstrap penguins Pygoscelis antarctica to advise krill fisheries management during the penguin breeding season. Diversity and Distributions, 24 (). pp. 10.1111/ddi.12817

Xavier, Jose C. , Velez, N., Trathan, Phil N. , Cherel, Y., De Broyer, C., Cánovas, F., Seco, J., Ratcliffe, Norman , Tarling, Geraint A. . (2018) Seasonal prey switching in non-breeding gentoo penguins related to a wintertime environmental anomaly around South Georgia. Polar Biology, 41 (). pp. 10.1007/s00300-018-2372-8

Perkins, Allan, Ratcliffe, Norman , Suddaby, Dave, Ribbands, Brian, Smith, Claire, Ellis, Pete, Meek, Eric, Bolton, Mark. (2018) Combined bottom-up and top-down pressures drive catastrophic population declines of Arctic skuas in Scotland. Journal of Animal Ecology, 87 (). pp. 10.1111/1365-2656.12890

Dias, Maria P., Carneiro, Ana Paula Bertoldi, Warwick-Evans, Victoria , Harris, Colin, Lorenz, Katharina, Lascelles, Ben, Clewlow, Harriet L. , Dunn, Michael J., Hinke, Jefferson T., Kim, Jeong-Hoon, Kokubun, Nobuo, Manco, Fabrizio, Ratcliffe, Norman , Santos, Mercedes, Takahashi, Akinori, Trivelpiece, Wayne, Trathan, Philip N. . (2018) Identification of marine important bird and biodiversity areas for penguins around the South Shetland Islands and South Orkney Islands. Ecology and Evolution, 8 (). pp. 10.1002/ece3.4519

Xavier, Jose , Cherel, Yves, Medeiros, Renata, Velez, Nadja, Dewar, Meagan, Ratcliffe, Norman , Carreiro, Ana R, Trathan, Phil N. . (2018) Conventional and molecular analysis of the diet of gentoo penguins: contributions to assess scats for non-invasive penguin diet monitoring. Polar Biology, 41 (). pp. 10.1007/s00300-018-2364-8

Pütz, Klemens, Harris, Sabrina, Ratcliffe, Norman , Rey, Andrea Raya, Poncet, Sally, Lüthi, Bernhard. (2018) Plasticity in the foraging behavior of male Southern Rockhopper Penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome) during incubation in the Falkland/Malvinas Islands. Polar Biology, 41 (). pp. 10.1007/s00300-018-2320-7

Staniland, Iain , Ratcliffe, Norman , Trathan, Phil , Forcada, Jaume . (2018) Long term movements and activity patterns of an Antarctic marine apex predator: the Leopard Seal. PLOS One, 13 (). pp. 10.1371/journal.pone.0197767

Ratcliffe, Norman , Adlard, Stacey, Stowasser, Gabriele , McGill, Rona. (2018) Dietary divergence is associated with increased intra-specific competition in a marine predator. Scientific Reports, 8 (). 10 pp. 10.1038/s41598-018-25318-7

2017

Horswill, Cat , Trathan, Philip N. , Ratcliffe, Norman . (2017) Linking extreme interannual changes in prey availability to foraging behaviour and breeding investment in a marine predator, the macaroni penguin. PLOS ONE, 12 (). 12 pp. 10.1371/journal.pone.0184114

Nicoll, Malcolm A. C., Nevoux, Marie, Jones, Carl G., Ratcliffe, Norman , Ruhomaun, Kevin, Tatayah, Vikash, Norris, Ken. (2017) Contrasting effects of tropical cyclones on the annual survival of a pelagic seabird in the Indian Ocean. Global Change Biology, 23 (). pp. doi:10.1111/gcb.13324

2016

Horswill, C. , Ratcliffe, N. , Green, J.A., Phillips, R.A., Trathan, P.N. , Matthiopoulos, J.. (2016) Unravelling the relative roles of top-down and bottom-up forces driving population change in an oceanic predator. Ecology, 97 (). pp. doi:10.1002/ecy.1452

Horswill, C. , Matthiopoulos, J., Ratcliffe, N. , Green, J.A., Trathan, P.N. , McGill, R.A.R., Phillips, R.A., O’Connell, T.C.. (2016) Drivers of intrapopulation variation in resource use in a generalist predator, the macaroni penguin. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 548 (). pp. doi:10.3354/meps11626

2015

Ratcliffe, Norman , Hill, Simeon L. , Staniland, Iain J. , Brown, Ruth, Adlard, Stacey, Horswill, Catharine , Trathan, Phil N. . (2015) Do krill fisheries compete with macaroni penguins? Spatial overlap in prey consumption and catches during winter. Diversity and Distributions, 21 (). pp. 10.1111/ddi.12366

Pedro, Sara, Xavier, Jose C. , Tavares, Sílvia, Trathan, Phil N. , Ratcliffe, Norman , Paiva, Vitor H., Medeiros, Renata, Pereira, Eduarda, Pardal, Miguel A.. (2015) Feathers as a tool to assess mercury contamination in gentoo penguins: Variations at the individual level. PLOS ONE, 10 (). 8 pp. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0137622

Pedro, Sara, Xavier, Jose C. , Tavares, Sílvia, Trathan, Phil N. , Ratcliffe, Norman , Paiva, Vitor H., Medeiros, Renata, Vieira, Rui P., Ceia, Filipe R., Pereira, Eduarda, Pardal, Miguel A.. (2015) Mercury accumulation in gentoo penguins Pygoscelis papua: spatial, temporal and sexual intraspecific variations. Polar Biology, 38 (). pp. doi:10.1007/s00300-015-1697-9

Ratcliffe, Norman , Guihen, Damien, Robst, Jeremy, Crofts, Sarah, Stanworth, Andrew, Enderlein, Peter. (2015) A protocol for the aerial survey of penguin colonies using UAVs. Journal of Unmanned Vehicle Systems, 3 (). pp. 10.1139/juvs-2015-0006

Baylis, Alastair M. M., Orben, Rachel A., Pistorius, Pierre, Brickle, Paul, Staniland, Iain , Ratcliffe, Norman . (2015) Winter foraging site fidelity of king penguins breeding at the Falkland Islands. Marine Biology, 162 (). pp. 10.1007/s00227-014-2561-0

2014

Horswill, Catharine , Matthiopoulos, Jason, Green, Jonathan A., Meredith, Michael P. , Forcada, Jaume , Peat, Helen , Preston, Mark, Trathan, Phil N. , Ratcliffe, Norman . (2014) Survival in macaroni penguins and the relative importance of different drivers: individual traits, predation pressure and environmental variability. Journal of Animal Ecology, 83 (). pp. 10.1111/1365-2656.12229

Oppel, Steffen, Hilton, Geoff, Ratcliffe, Norman , Fenton, Calvin, Daley, James, Gray, Gerard, Vickery, Juliet, Gibbons, David. (2014) Assessing population viability while accounting for demographic and environmental uncertainty. Ecology, 95 (). pp. doi:10.1890/13-0733.1

Ratcliffe, Norman , Crofts, Sarah, Brown, Ruth, Baylis, Alistair M.M., Adlard, Stacey, Horswill, Catharine , Venables, Hugh , Taylor, Phil, Trathan, Philip N. , Staniland, Iain J. . (2014) Love thy neighbour or opposites attract? Patterns of spatial segregation and association among crested penguin populations during winter. Journal of Biogeography, 41 (). pp. 10.1111/jbi.12279

Ratcliffe, Norman , Takahashi, Akinori, Oulton, Colin, Fukuda, Michio, Fry, Bridget, Crofts, Sarah, Brown, Ruth, Adlard, Stacey, Dunn, Michael J. , Trathan, Philip N. . (2014) A leg-band for mounting geolocator tags on penguins. Marine Ornithology, 42 (). pp.

2013

Ratcliffe, Norman , Takahashi, Akinori, O'Sullivan, Claire, Adlard, Stacey, Trathan, Philip N. , Harris, Michael P. , Wanless, Sarah . (2013) The roles of sex, mass and individual specialisation in partitioning foraging-depth niches of a pursuit-diving predator. PLoS ONE, 8 (). 7 pp. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0079107

Baylis, A. M. M., Wolfaardt, A. C., Crofts, S., Pistorius, P. A., Ratcliffe, N. . (2013) Increasing trend in the number of Southern Rockhopper Penguins (Eudyptes c. chrysocome) breeding at the Falkland Islands. Polar Biology, 36 (). pp. doi:10.1007/s00300-013-1324-6

Lynch, Heather J., Ratcliffe, Norman , Passmore, Jennifer, Foster, Emma, Trathan, Philip N. . (2013) Sensitivity analysis identifies high influence sites for estimates of penguin krill consumption on the Antarctic Peninsula. Antarctic Science, 25 (). pp. doi:10.1017/S0954102012000600

2012

Ratcliffe, N. , Trathan, P. . (2012) A review of the diet and at-sea distribution of penguins breeding within the CAMLR Convention Area. CCAMLR Science, 19 (). pp.

Fretwell, Peter T. , LaRue, Michelle A., Morin, Paul, Kooyman, Gerald L., Wienecke, Barbara, Ratcliffe, Norman , Fox, Adrian J. , Fleming, Andrew H. , Porter, Claire, Trathan, Phil N. . (2012) An Emperor Penguin population estimate: The first global, synoptic survey of a species from space. Plos One, 7 (). 11 pp. 10.1371/journal.pone.0033751

Wanless, R. M., Ratcliffe, N. , Angel, A., Bowie, B. C., Cita, K., Hilton, G. M., Kritzinger, P., Ryan, P. G., Slabber, M.. (2012) Predation of Atlantic Petrel chicks by house mice on Gough Island. Animal Conservation, 15 (). pp. 10.1111/j.1469-1795.2012.00534.x

Trathan, Phil , Ratcliffe, Norman , Masden, E.A.. (2012) Ecological drivers of change at South Georgia: the krill surplus, or climate variability. Ecography, 35 (). pp. 10.1111/j.1600-0587.2012.07330.x

2010

Ratcliffe, Norman , Bell, Mike, Pelembe, Tara, Boyle, Dave, White, Raymond Benjamin Richard, Godley, Brendan, Stevenson, Jim, Sanders, Sarah. (2010) The eradication of feral cats from Ascension Island and its subsequent recolonization by seabirds. Oryx, 44 (). pp. 10.1017/S003060530999069X

2004

Votier, Stephen C., Bearhop, Stuart, Ratcliffe, Norman , Phillips, Richard A., Furness, Robert W.. (2004) Predation by great skuas at a large Shetland seabird colony. Journal of Applied Ecology, 41 (). pp. 10.1111/j.0021-8901.2004.00974.x

Research outputs

Norman Ratcliffe

Contact

Team

General enquiries

Norman Ratcliffe

Biography

Research interests

Collaborations

Publications from NERC Open Research Archive

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2010

2004

2020

2019

2018

2024

2023

2021

2020

2018