Yelkouan Shearwater chicks which left Malta earlier this month have been located off Greece and Crete.

Six chicks from the Rdum tal-Madonna colony were fitted with satellite tags as part of what is seen as being ground-breaking research to protect Malta's internationally important seabird populations, BirdLife said.

The state-of-the-art tags, which only weigh a few grams, have been transmitting regularly since the chicks left the colony and embarked on their first flights One bird has spent several days in shallow waters off the coast of Greece near the island of Kefallonia, while another is now just south of Crete. A third bird appears to be moving towards the coast of Albania.

"Not only is this ground-breaking research that is critical for protecting Malta's internationally important seabird populations, but it is also putting Malta firmly on the map for sea bird research worldwide." said Andre Raine, BirdLife Malta conservation manager.

"This technology provides us with the information we need to understand what these birds do once they leave their nests, and with this information we will be better equipped to identify which areas at sea are important to protect them."

Malta holds an estimated 10% of the world breeding population of Yelkouan Shearwater. The information collected on the migration and movement patterns of the adult and juvenile birds will be used to designate Marine Special Protection Areas at sea in Maltese waters. It will also provide data to other European countries on where Yelkouans are fishing and wintering so that they can be protected overseas, BirdLife said.