DOCSLIB.ORG

Pirates of the Oceans 12 13 13 14 Skuas Are the Pirates of the Bird World

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Pirates of the Oceans 12 13 13 14 Skuas Are the Pirates of the Bird World 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 SKUAS 9 10 10 11 11 12 Pirates of the oceans 12 13 13 14 Skuas are the pirates of the bird world. Like gulls with a killer 14 15 15 16 instinct,instinct, skuasskuas shareshare manymany characterscharacters withwith terrestrialterrestrial birdsbirds ofof prey,prey, allow-allow- 16 17 17 18 inging interestinginteresting insightsinsights intointo thethe biologybiology ofof birdbird predators.predators. 18 19 19 20 InIn thisthis feature,feature, thethe FitzPatrickFitzPatrick Institute’sInstitute’s PeterPeter RyanRyan exploresexplores thethe 20 21 21 22 varied and often contradictory world of skuas. 22 23 23 24 24 25 25 26 26 27 27 28 28 29 29 30 30 31 31 32 32 33 33 34 34 35 35 36 36 37 37 38 38 39 A pair of Sub-Antarctic 39 40 Skuas giving the 40 41 characteristic long- 41 42 call display with 42 43 raisedraised wings.wings. 43 44 ONNO HUYSER 44 45 45 46 46 47 47 48 48 49 49 50 50 51 51 52 52 53 53 54 54 55 55 56 56 57 57 58 58 59 59 60 60 61 61 62 62 63 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 10 10 11 11 12 12 13 13 14 14 15 15 16 16 17 17 ONNO HUYSER WARWICK TARBOTON 18 18 19 Above A pair of Sub-Antarctic Skuas sitting peacefully next to a dozing Chinstrap Penguin Pygoscelis antarctica, but other birds 19 20 have to watch out when skuas are around, or they may find themselves losing a meal, their eggs and chicks, or even their lives. 20 21 Above right An intermediate phase Arctic Skua in flight, showing the much more slender build and elongate central tail feather, 21 22 characteristic of Stercorarius. COLIN PATERSON-JONES 22 23 23 24 here are few more stirring sights have captured the imagination of era, but this is controversial. Three 24 25 than the rakish silhouette of a birders around the world. But in Africa small species in the genus Stercorarius 25 26 T skua approaching a flock of we only see these remarkable birds (namely, the Pomarine, Arctic and 26 27 terns, accelerating with deep, effort- during the non-breeding season. To Long-tailed skuas) breed on the Arctic 27 28 less wingbeats. Your pulse quickens as understand skuas you have to travel tundra or, in the case of some Arctic 28 29 the skua pursues its victim relentlessly to their breeding grounds, almost lit- Skuas, in association with northern 29 30 until the tern is forced to regurgitate, erally at the ends of the earth. seabird breeding colonies. After breed- 30 31 and the skua swoops to grab the bolus The skuas are a small family, closely ing they migrate south to winter in 31 32 of food in the air. Skuas are masters of related to the gulls. The consensus is the southern hemisphere. An excep- 32 33 aerial pursuit, and their dogfights to recognize seven species in two gen- tion is the Pomarine Skua, which has 33 34 a more northerly wintering range, 34 35 with many remaining in the tropics. 35 36 By comparison, the four large skuas 36 37 in the genus Catharacta (South Polar, 37 38 Sub-Antarctic, Great, and Chilean) 38 39 tend to have a southerly distribution. 39 ONNO HUYSER 40 Three species breed around the coast of Above A pair of Sub-Antarctic Skuas at their nest site on a rare clear day at Bouvet Island. 40 41 Antarctica, southern South America 41 42 and at sub-Antarctic islands. Only the 42 43 Great Skua breeds in the northern ONE GENUS OR TWO? 43 44 hemisphere, where it is restricted to 44 45 the north-east Atlantic. All four species Historically there was much confusion was its most likely ancestor. However, this Skua and a male Arctic or Long-tailed 45 46 tend to disperse towards warmer areas regarding skua taxonomy, partly because argument has been confounded by recent Skua. The latter explanation accounts for 46 47 during the winter non-breeding sea- of the range of plumages, and partly genetic evidence which shows that the the mosaic of characters exhibited by 47 48 son, but only the most southerly breed- because of regional variation within the three southern species of Catharacta are Pomarine Skuas. Although they closely 48 49 ing species, the South Polar Skua, large skuas. Most authorities accept two more closely related to each other than resemble the small skuas, including hav- 49 50 migrates across the equator. It com- genera, but there is debate about the they are to the Great Skua. ing the diagnostic barred juvenile plum- 50 51 petes with the Arctic Tern Sterna paradi- Pomarine Skua, which is somewhat inter- More surprising is the finding that the age found only among Stercorarius, 51 52 saea for the longest migratory range, mediate between the small Stercorarius Pomarine Skua is very similar genetically detailed analysis of their morphology 52 53 with a bird ringed as a chick on the (termed jaegers in America) and the larger to the Great Skua, much more so than it suggests they are closer to the large 53 54 Antarctic Peninsula being recovered six Catharacta skuas. More contentious has is to either of the other small skuas. This skuas, and they share the wing-raising 54 55 months later north of the Arctic Circle. been the status of the various forms of is based on looking at genes carried in display with the large skuas. 55 56 56 The South Polar Skua also is remark- large skuas, which are rather similar and mitochondria, which are inherited solely Despite this confusion, seven species 57 able for being the only vertebrate other 57 have been combined in various ways. from the female parent. Either Pomarine currently are accepted. All but the 58 than man known to visit the South 58 Researcher Bob Furness has suggested Skuas coincidentally resemble the other Chilean Skua occur at sea off Africa. 59 Pole. It breeds in association with Snow 59 that the Great Skua is a recent colonist of Stercorarius skuas, or the species has aris- 60 Pagodroma nivea and Antarctic Petrel 60 PETER STEYN the North Atlantic, resulting in speculation en from a hybrid between a female Great 61 Above Sub-Antarctic Skua pairs often hunt co-operatively, and help each Thalassoica antarctica colonies, south to 61 as to which of the three southern species 62 other tear up large prey items, such as the remains of this bird. almost 80 ˚S. 62 63 58 SKUAS AFRICA – BIRDS & BIRDING 1997 – VOLUME 2, NUMBER 5 SKUAS 59 1 Ironically, away from its breeding where lemmings are abundant. Males invariably two eggs. Skuas can only lost the innate behaviour found in 1 2 grounds the highly pugnacious Sub- arrive on the breeding grounds first, successfully incubate two eggs at a gulls to retrieve eggs that roll out of the 2 3 Antarctic Skua seldom hassles other and re-establish their territory. When time; adding a third egg results in all nest. Displaced eggs are ignored, which 3 4 birds, feeding largely for itself, and the female arrives, she is initially three failing to hatch. This is because may account for the preference to nest 4 5 often scavenging at fishing vessels. By rebuffed, but after a few days the pair skuas have rather small brood patches, on flat ground! The chicks hatch with a 5 6 comparison, the South Polar Skua, bond is reaffirmed, and she joins the and they incubate their eggs on their thick layer of down, but are closely 6 7 which is generally less aggressive than male in territory defence. feet to supplement the meagre insula- guarded for the first few days. The first- 7 8 the Sub-Antarctic Skua where the two Breeding skuas are intensely territori- tion provided by the nest scrape. The hatched chick, being larger, gains pref- 8 9 species breed together, undergoes a al. Often there are many more potential eggs are laid generally two days apart erential access to food and actively 9 10 Jekyll and Hyde transformation. breeders than available territories. For and, since incubation starts with the excludes the younger sibling from the 10 11 During the non-breeding season it example, Inaccessible Island in the laying of the first egg, the chicks hatch nest. Like many birds of prey, it may 11 12 becomes a fearless pirate, even tackling Tristan group supports fewer than 25 within a day or so of each other. even kill its sibling. This strategy 12 13 the largest of all flying seabirds, the breeding pairs out of a population of Both sexes incubate, although the ensures that at least one chick survives 13 14 Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans. several hundred skuas. The unsuccessful female spends more time on the eggs when food is scarce, although generally 14 15 I vividly recall the bewilderment of a birds gather in large ‘clubs’ – often more than the male, who does most of the both chicks survive to fledging. 15 16 Wanderer tumbling out of the sky with than 100 strong – on the periphery of foraging. One curious aspect of skua Skuas defend their offspring pugna- 16 17 a South Polar Skua gripping firmly the breeding area. From here, unpaired incubation is that they appear to have ciously, dive-bombing intruders to 17 18 onto its tail, in an unlikely David and birds fly sorties over the breeding terri- 18 19 Goliath rematch.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • TREND NOTE Number 021, October 2012
    SCOTTISH NATURAL HERITAGE TREND NOTE Number 021, October 2012 SEABIRDS IN SCOTLAND Prepared by Simon Foster and Sue Marrs of SNH Knowledge Information Management Unit using results from the Seabird Monitoring Programme and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee Scotland has internationally important populations of several seabirds. Their conservation is assisted through a network of designated sites. Figure 1 shows the distribution of the 50 Special Protection Areas (SPA) which have seabirds listed as a feature of interest. The map shows the widespread nature of the sites and the predominance of important seabird areas on the Northern Isles (Orkney and Shetland), where some of our largest seabird colonies are present. The most recent estimate of seabird populations was obtained from Birds of Scotland (Forrester et al., 2007). Table 1 shows the population levels for all seabirds regularly breeding in Scotland. Table 1: Population Estimates for Breeding Seabirds in Scotland. Figure 1: Special Protection Areas for Seabirds Breeding in Scotland. Species* Unit** Estimate Key Points Northern fulmar 486,000 AOS Manx shearwater 126,545 AOS Trends are described for 11 of the 24 European storm-petrel 31,570+ AOS species of seabirds breeding in Leach’s storm-petrel 48,057 AOS Scotland Northern gannet 182,511 AOS Great cormorant c. 3,600 AON Nine have shown sustained declines European shag 21,500-30,000 PAIRS over the past 20 years. Two have Arctic skua 2,100 AOT remained stable. Great skua 9,650 AOT The reasons for the declines are Black headed
    [Show full text]
  • Miles, William Thomas Stead (2010) Ecology, Behaviour and Predator- Prey Interactions of Great Skuas and Leach's Storm-Petrels at St Kilda
    Miles, William Thomas Stead (2010) Ecology, behaviour and predator- prey interactions of Great Skuas and Leach's Storm-petrels at St Kilda. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/2297/ Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] Ecology, behaviour and predator-prey interactions of Great Skuas and Leach’s Storm-petrels at St Kilda W. T. S. Miles Submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Faculty of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow June 2010 For Alison & Patrick Margaret & Gurney, Edna & Dennis 1 …after sunset, a first shadowy bird would appear circling over the ruins, seen intermittently because of its wide circuit in the thickening light. The fast jerky flight seemed feather-light, to have a buoyant butterfly aimlessness. Another appeared, and another. Island Going (1949 ): Leach’s Petrel 2 Declaration I declare that the work described in this thesis is of my own composition and has been carried out entirely by myself unless otherwise cited or acknowledged.
    [Show full text]
  • Seabirds in Southeastern Hawaiian Waters
    WESTERN BIRDS Volume 30, Number 1, 1999 SEABIRDS IN SOUTHEASTERN HAWAIIAN WATERS LARRY B. SPEAR and DAVID G. AINLEY, H. T. Harvey & Associates,P.O. Box 1180, Alviso, California 95002 PETER PYLE, Point Reyes Bird Observatory,4990 Shoreline Highway, Stinson Beach, California 94970 Waters within 200 nautical miles (370 km) of North America and the Hawaiian Archipelago(the exclusiveeconomic zone) are consideredas withinNorth Americanboundaries by birdrecords committees (e.g., Erickson and Terrill 1996). Seabirdswithin 370 km of the southern Hawaiian Islands (hereafterreferred to as Hawaiian waters)were studiedintensively by the PacificOcean BiologicalSurvey Program (POBSP) during 15 monthsin 1964 and 1965 (King 1970). Theseresearchers replicated a tracklineeach month and providedconsiderable information on the seasonaloccurrence and distributionof seabirds in these waters. The data were primarily qualitative,however, because the POBSP surveyswere not basedon a strip of defined width nor were raw counts corrected for bird movement relative to that of the ship(see Analyses). As a result,estimation of density(birds per unit area) was not possible. From 1984 to 1991, using a more rigoroussurvey protocol, we re- surveyedseabirds in the southeasternpart of the region (Figure1). In this paper we providenew informationon the occurrence,distribution, effect of oceanographicfactors, and behaviorof seabirdsin southeasternHawai- ian waters, includingdensity estimatesof abundant species. We also document the occurrenceof six speciesunrecorded or unconfirmed in thesewaters, the ParasiticJaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus), South Polar Skua (Catharacta maccormicki), Tahiti Petrel (Pterodroma rostrata), Herald Petrel (P. heraldica), Stejneger's Petrel (P. Iongirostris), and Pycroft'sPetrel (P. pycrofti). STUDY AREA AND SURVEY PROTOCOL Our studywas a piggybackproject conducted aboard vessels studying the physicaloceanography of the easterntropical Pacific.
    [Show full text]
  • BROWN SKUAS Stercorarius Antarcticus INCUBATE a MACARONI PENGUIN EUDYPTES CHRYSOLOPHUS EGG at MARION ISLAND
    Clokie & Cooper: Skuas incubate a Macaroni Penquin egg 59 BROWN SKUAS STERCORARIUS antarcticus INCUBATE A MACARONI PENGUIN EUDYPTES CHRYSOLOPHUS EGG AT MARION ISLAND LINDA CLOKIE1 & JOHN COOPER2,3 1Marine & Coastal Management Branch, Department of Environmental Affairs, Private Bag X2, Rogge Bay 8012, South Africa 2Animal Demography Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa 3DST/NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa ([email protected]) Received 3 October 2009, accepted 5 February 2010 Brown/Sub-antarctic Skua Stercorarius antarcticus are widely -sized for skua eggs, thus deemed to be the birds’ own clutch, but distributed at cool-temperate and sub-Antarctic islands in the the third was an all-white egg (Fig. 1). This egg was noticeably Southern Ocean, where their diet includes burrowing petrels caught larger than the two skua eggs, and was more rounded in shape. at night and eggs stolen from incubating birds, especially penguins, On 19 December when the nest was revisited one of the two skua during the day (Furness 1987, Higgins & Davies 1996, Shirihai eggs was no longer present. During visits on 21 December 2008 2007). At Marion Island, Prince Edward Islands in the southern and on 4 and 15 January 2009 only the white egg was present, and Indian Ocean, Brown Skua prey on eggs of crested penguins the displaced incubating bird was quick to defend its nest. On 9 Eudyptes sp. during summer months which they remove in their February 2009 the skua pair was still present at the nest, with one bills from the colonies by flying to nearby middens where the eggs’ bird in an incubating position, but the nest was empty of contents.
    [Show full text]
  • Assessment of Great Skua Stercorarius Skua Pellet Composition to Inform Estimates of Storm Petrel Consumption from Bioenergetics Models
    Storm Petrels in Great Skua pellets Assessment of Great Skua Stercorarius skua pellet composition to inform estimates of storm petrel consumption from bioenergetics models Zoe Deakin1*, Lucy Gilbert2, Gina Prior3 and Mark Bolton4 * Correspondence author. Email: [email protected] 1 School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK; 2 Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, Graham Kerr Building, University of Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK; 3 National Trust for Scotland, Balnain House, 40 Huntly Street, Inverness, IV3 5HR, UK; 4 RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK Abstract Generalist predators may exert levels of predation on particular prey that result in, or contribute to, decline of that prey species. Bioenergetics models have been used to estimate the rates of consumption of Leach’s Storm Petrels Oceanodroma leucorhoa (45 g) and European Storm Petrels Hydrobates pelagicus (25 g) by Great Skuas Stercorarius skua on St Kilda (Western Isles, UK) and Hermaness (Shetland, UK). The models require estimates of the number of indigestible pellets produced from each individual storm petrel consumed, which have previously been determined by captive feeding trials or examination of pellets cast by free-living birds, but which have not discriminated between the two storm petrel species. Here we use information from dissection of 427 Great Skua pellets collected on Hirta (St Kilda, UK) and Mousa (Shetland, UK) to provide empirical estimates of the pellet:prey ratios for Leach’s and European Storm Petrels separately. We found that pellet:prey ratios were similar for collections of the ‘standing crop’ of pellets accumulated over the entire breeding season and samples of pellets cast within the preceding five days.
    [Show full text]
  • Antarctic Primer
    Antarctic Primer By Nigel Sitwell, Tom Ritchie & Gary Miller By Nigel Sitwell, Tom Ritchie & Gary Miller Designed by: Olivia Young, Aurora Expeditions October 2018 Cover image © I.Tortosa Morgan Suite 12, Level 2 35 Buckingham Street Surry Hills, Sydney NSW 2010, Australia To anyone who goes to the Antarctic, there is a tremendous appeal, an unparalleled combination of grandeur, beauty, vastness, loneliness, and malevolence —all of which sound terribly melodramatic — but which truly convey the actual feeling of Antarctica. Where else in the world are all of these descriptions really true? —Captain T.L.M. Sunter, ‘The Antarctic Century Newsletter ANTARCTIC PRIMER 2018 | 3 CONTENTS I. CONSERVING ANTARCTICA Guidance for Visitors to the Antarctic Antarctica’s Historic Heritage South Georgia Biosecurity II. THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT Antarctica The Southern Ocean The Continent Climate Atmospheric Phenomena The Ozone Hole Climate Change Sea Ice The Antarctic Ice Cap Icebergs A Short Glossary of Ice Terms III. THE BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT Life in Antarctica Adapting to the Cold The Kingdom of Krill IV. THE WILDLIFE Antarctic Squids Antarctic Fishes Antarctic Birds Antarctic Seals Antarctic Whales 4 AURORA EXPEDITIONS | Pioneering expedition travel to the heart of nature. CONTENTS V. EXPLORERS AND SCIENTISTS The Exploration of Antarctica The Antarctic Treaty VI. PLACES YOU MAY VISIT South Shetland Islands Antarctic Peninsula Weddell Sea South Orkney Islands South Georgia The Falkland Islands South Sandwich Islands The Historic Ross Sea Sector Commonwealth Bay VII. FURTHER READING VIII. WILDLIFE CHECKLISTS ANTARCTIC PRIMER 2018 | 5 Adélie penguins in the Antarctic Peninsula I. CONSERVING ANTARCTICA Antarctica is the largest wilderness area on earth, a place that must be preserved in its present, virtually pristine state.
    [Show full text]
  • The Outer Hebrides
    THE OUTER HEBRIDES “After over 22 years of leading trips to the Outer Hebrides, the sheer beauty of the landscape and incredible wildlife these islands hold is as special to me as the very first time I visited all those years ago. Every new visit just makes me appreciate the unique and fabulous wildlife and birdlife of the islands even more. I can’t wait to get back out there!” Craig Round Dates Fri 6 - Sat 14 May 2022 Corncrakes rasp from fields and Snipe drum overhead, Price £2,295 in a watery landscape that the modern world has passed by, Deposit £450 Single Supp £300 on these timeless low-lying islands at Britain’s Atlantic edge. Leaders Craig Round and Sally Nowell Successful Corncrake watching every time, on over 40 trips! Weather Though usually quite dry, these islands Nesting waders in farmland that’s vanished elsewhere can experience all the seasons during Mile after mile of unspoilt white beaches and azure seas one trip and can be windy (5°-20°C) Wonderful for raptors, rare skuas and Short-eared Owl Walking Coastal walks on uneven terrain of up to 2 miles. Walking boots recommended Summer plumage Great Northern and other divers with trainers suitable on some occasions. White-tailed Eagle, Dotterel, Pomarine Skua and Otter Collapsible/telescopic walking poles could be useful for this trip. With our own two expert guides to the Western Isles Meals All included from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 9 We overnight on Friday in Inverness, by wind-blown shell sand and in the evenings the 1-2 to give us an early start for our journey sunset from the hotel can be truly beautiful, with Insects Biting insects are unlikely to be a problem down through the Great Glen and across the Isle of a backdrop chorus of ‘drumming’ displaying Snipe Accom Double, twin and single rooms Skye to Uig, before catching a ferry to Lochmaddy and calling Redshank overhead.
    [Show full text]
  • Appendix, French Names, Supplement
    685 APPENDIX Part 1. Speciesreported from the A.O.U. Check-list area with insufficient evidencefor placementon the main list. Specieson this list havebeen reported (published) as occurring in the geographicarea coveredby this Check-list.However, their occurrenceis considered hypotheticalfor one of more of the following reasons: 1. Physicalevidence for their presence(e.g., specimen,photograph, video-tape, audio- recording)is lacking,of disputedorigin, or unknown.See the Prefacefor furtherdiscussion. 2. The naturaloccurrence (unrestrained by humans)of the speciesis disputed. 3. An introducedpopulation has failed to becomeestablished. 4. Inclusionin previouseditions of the Check-listwas basedexclusively on recordsfrom Greenland, which is now outside the A.O.U. Check-list area. Phoebastria irrorata (Salvin). Waved Albatross. Diornedeairrorata Salvin, 1883, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 430. (Callao Bay, Peru.) This speciesbreeds on Hood Island in the Galapagosand on Isla de la Plata off Ecuador, and rangesat seaalong the coastsof Ecuadorand Peru. A specimenwas takenjust outside the North American area at Octavia Rocks, Colombia, near the Panama-Colombiaboundary (8 March 1941, R. C. Murphy). There are sight reportsfrom Panama,west of Pitias Bay, Dari6n, 26 February1941 (Ridgely 1976), and southwestof the Pearl Islands,27 September 1964. Also known as GalapagosAlbatross. ThalassarchechrysosWma (Forster). Gray-headed Albatross. Diornedeachrysostorna J. R. Forster,1785, M6m. Math. Phys. Acad. Sci. Paris 10: 571, pl. 14. (voisinagedu cerclepolaire antarctique & dansl'Ocean Pacifique= Isla de los Estados[= StatenIsland], off Tierra del Fuego.) This speciesbreeds on islandsoff CapeHorn, in the SouthAtlantic, in the southernIndian Ocean,and off New Zealand.Reports from Oregon(mouth of the ColumbiaRiver), California (coastnear Golden Gate), and Panama(Bay of Chiriqu0 are unsatisfactory(see A.O.U.
    [Show full text]
  • Partial Migration in the Mediterranean Storm Petrel Hydrobates Pelagicus Melitensis
    Lago et al.: Partial migration in Mediterranean Storm Petrel 105 PARTIAL MIGRATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN STORM PETREL HYDROBATES PELAGICUS MELITENSIS PAULO LAGO*, MARTIN AUSTAD & BENJAMIN METZGER BirdLife Malta, 57/28 Triq Abate Rigord, Ta’ Xbiex XBX 1120, Malta *([email protected]) Received 27 November 2018, accepted 05 February 2019 ABSTRACT LAGO, P., AUSTAD, M. & METZGER, B. 2019. Partial migration in the Mediterranean Storm Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus melitensis. Marine Ornithology 47: 105–113. Studying the migration routes and wintering areas of seabirds is crucial to understanding their ecology and to inform conservation efforts. Here we present results of a tracking study carried out on the little-known Mediterranean Storm Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus melitensis. During the 2016 breeding season, Global Location Sensor (GLS) tags were deployed on birds at the largest Mediterranean colony: the islet of Filfla in the Maltese Archipelago. The devices were retrieved the following season, revealing hitherto unknown movements and wintering areas of this species. Most individuals remained in the Mediterranean throughout the year, with birds shifting westwards or remaining in the central Mediterranean during winter. However, one bird left the Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar and wintered in the North Atlantic. Our results from GLS tracking, which are supported by data from ringed and recovered birds, point toward a system of partial migration with high inter-individual variation. This highlights the importance of trans-boundary marine protection for the conservation of vulnerable seabirds. Key words: Procellariformes, movement, geolocation, wintering, Malta, capture-mark-recovery INTRODUCTION The Mediterranean Storm Petrel has been described as sedentary, because birds are present in their breeding areas throughout the year The Mediterranean Storm Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus melitensis is (Zotier et al.
    [Show full text]
  • SHOREBIRDS (Charadriiformes*) CARE MANUAL *Does Not Include Alcidae
    SHOREBIRDS (Charadriiformes*) CARE MANUAL *Does not include Alcidae CREATED BY AZA CHARADRIIFORMES TAXON ADVISORY GROUP IN ASSOCIATION WITH AZA ANIMAL WELFARE COMMITTEE Shorebirds (Charadriiformes) Care Manual Shorebirds (Charadriiformes) Care Manual Published by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in association with the AZA Animal Welfare Committee Formal Citation: AZA Charadriiformes Taxon Advisory Group. (2014). Shorebirds (Charadriiformes) Care Manual. Silver Spring, MD: Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Original Completion Date: October 2013 Authors and Significant Contributors: Aimee Greenebaum: AZA Charadriiformes TAG Vice Chair, Monterey Bay Aquarium, USA Alex Waier: Milwaukee County Zoo, USA Carol Hendrickson: Birmingham Zoo, USA Cindy Pinger: AZA Charadriiformes TAG Chair, Birmingham Zoo, USA CJ McCarty: Oregon Coast Aquarium, USA Heidi Cline: Alaska SeaLife Center, USA Jamie Ries: Central Park Zoo, USA Joe Barkowski: Sedgwick County Zoo, USA Kim Wanders: Monterey Bay Aquarium, USA Mary Carlson: Charadriiformes Program Advisor, Seattle Aquarium, USA Sara Perry: Seattle Aquarium, USA Sara Crook-Martin: Buttonwood Park Zoo, USA Shana R. Lavin, Ph.D.,Wildlife Nutrition Fellow University of Florida, Dept. of Animal Sciences , Walt Disney World Animal Programs Dr. Stephanie McCain: AZA Charadriiformes TAG Veterinarian Advisor, DVM, Birmingham Zoo, USA Phil King: Assiniboine Park Zoo, Canada Reviewers: Dr. Mike Murray (Monterey Bay Aquarium, USA) John C. Anderson (Seattle Aquarium volunteer) Kristina Neuman (Point Blue Conservation Science) Sarah Saunders (Conservation Biology Graduate Program,University of Minnesota) AZA Staff Editors: Maya Seaman, MS, Animal Care Manual Editing Consultant Candice Dorsey, PhD, Director of Animal Programs Debborah Luke, PhD, Vice President, Conservation & Science Cover Photo Credits: Jeff Pribble Disclaimer: This manual presents a compilation of knowledge provided by recognized animal experts based on the current science, practice, and technology of animal management.
    [Show full text]
  • Flexibility of Foraging Strategies of the Great Skua Stercorarius Skua Breeding in the Largest Colony in the Barents Sea Region Dariusz Jakubas1* , Lech M
    Jakubas et al. Frontiers in Zoology (2018) 15:9 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-018-0257-x RESEARCH Open Access Flexibility of foraging strategies of the great skua Stercorarius skua breeding in the largest colony in the Barents Sea region Dariusz Jakubas1* , Lech M. Iliszko1, Hallvard Strøm2, Halfdan H. Helgason2 and Lech Stempniewicz1 Abstract Background: Foraging strategies of seabird species often vary considerably between and within individuals. This variability is influenced by a multitude of factors including age, sex, stage of annual life cycle, reproductive status, individual specialization and environmental conditions. Results: Using GPS-loggers, we investigated factors affecting foraging flight characteristics (total duration, maximal range, total distance covered) of great skuas Stercorarius skua of known sex breeding on Bjørnøya, Svalbard, the largest colony in the Barents Sea region. We examined influence of sex (females are larger than males), phase of breeding (incubation, chick-rearing), reproductive status (breeders, failed breeders) and bird ID (they are known for individual foraging specialization). Our analyses revealed that only bird ID affected foraging flight characteristics significantly, indicating a high degree of plasticity regardless of sex, reproductive status or phase of breeding. We recognized three main groups of individuals: 1) those preying mainly on other seabirds in the breeding colonies (6%), 2) those foraging at sea (76%) and kleptoparasiting other seabirds and/or foraging on fish and/or offal discarded by fishing vessels, and 3) those alternating between preying on other seabirds in breeding colonies and foraging at sea (18%). Despite marked size sexual dimorphism, we found no apparent sex differences in flight characteristics.
    [Show full text]
  • Alpha Codes for 2168 Bird Species (And 113 Non-Species Taxa) in Accordance with the 62Nd AOU Supplement (2021), Sorted Taxonomically
    Four-letter (English Name) and Six-letter (Scientific Name) Alpha Codes for 2168 Bird Species (and 113 Non-Species Taxa) in accordance with the 62nd AOU Supplement (2021), sorted taxonomically Prepared by Peter Pyle and David F. DeSante The Institute for Bird Populations www.birdpop.org ENGLISH NAME 4-LETTER CODE SCIENTIFIC NAME 6-LETTER CODE Highland Tinamou HITI Nothocercus bonapartei NOTBON Great Tinamou GRTI Tinamus major TINMAJ Little Tinamou LITI Crypturellus soui CRYSOU Thicket Tinamou THTI Crypturellus cinnamomeus CRYCIN Slaty-breasted Tinamou SBTI Crypturellus boucardi CRYBOU Choco Tinamou CHTI Crypturellus kerriae CRYKER White-faced Whistling-Duck WFWD Dendrocygna viduata DENVID Black-bellied Whistling-Duck BBWD Dendrocygna autumnalis DENAUT West Indian Whistling-Duck WIWD Dendrocygna arborea DENARB Fulvous Whistling-Duck FUWD Dendrocygna bicolor DENBIC Emperor Goose EMGO Anser canagicus ANSCAN Snow Goose SNGO Anser caerulescens ANSCAE + Lesser Snow Goose White-morph LSGW Anser caerulescens caerulescens ANSCCA + Lesser Snow Goose Intermediate-morph LSGI Anser caerulescens caerulescens ANSCCA + Lesser Snow Goose Blue-morph LSGB Anser caerulescens caerulescens ANSCCA + Greater Snow Goose White-morph GSGW Anser caerulescens atlantica ANSCAT + Greater Snow Goose Intermediate-morph GSGI Anser caerulescens atlantica ANSCAT + Greater Snow Goose Blue-morph GSGB Anser caerulescens atlantica ANSCAT + Snow X Ross's Goose Hybrid SRGH Anser caerulescens x rossii ANSCAR + Snow/Ross's Goose SRGO Anser caerulescens/rossii ANSCRO Ross's Goose
    [Show full text]