The mystery of where albatrosses go during their epic migrations has been solved by a study that will help the world's most threatened family of birds.

　　The research, based on tracking the precise movements of 22 birds, reveals that males are most likely to circumnavigate the world, with the fastest managing a distance of 14,000 miles in 46 days - the equivalent of a steady 13mph.

　　The study has key conservation benefits because it offers the first hope of identifying the major wintering and staging areas used by this species, which is the first step in reducing its unnecessary slaughter by legal and illegal long-line fishing methods.

　　The study, reported in the journal Science today by Prof John Croxall and colleagues from the British Antarctic Survey, outlines, for the first time, the year-round habitat of the grey-headed albatross, Thalassarche chrystostoma.

　　Prof Croxall said: "By understanding where these birds go when they're not breeding, we can brief governments and fisheries commissions to impose much stricter measures capable of reducing the number of birds killed by 75 to 95 per cent, depending on the type of fishery."

　　The project began in April 1999 when the scientists caught birds that were on an annual breeding stopover on Bird Island, South Georgia. By attaching tiny logging devices, called geo-locators, to the birds' legs for 18 months or more, BAS scientists found that most birds travelled from the coast of South Georgia to areas of the south-west Indian Ocean, where there is long-line fishing for tuna.

　　More than half then made amazing round-the-world journeys - the fastest in just 46 days. As the loggers only provide two positions per day, an accurate estimate of the distance is impossible but it is likely to have been at least 14,000 miles.

　　The scientists were surprised to find that this species travelled so far and stayed out over the high seas for so long. With 12 birds making global circumnavigations (three birds twice), this might prove to be the most migratory of all albatrosses.

　　Before this study, there was no knowledge of the grey-headed albatross's wintering habitat apart from a few reports of ringed birds found dead on beaches or killed in fisheries in the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean.

　　Within the albatross family, 19 of 21 groups are on the Red List of the IUCN, the World Conservation Union, as globally threatened, said Prof Croxall.

　　"Knowing where the albatrosses will interact with fishing vessels provides governments and fisheries commissions with accurate information to stop the killing of these charismatic birds. The right combination of measures will drastically reduce deaths."