DOCSLIB.ORG

A Hybrid Gadfly Petrel Suggests That Soft-Plumaged Petrels (Pterodroma Mollis) Had Colonised the Antipodes Islands by the 1920S

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Hybrid Gadfly Petrel Suggests That Soft-Plumaged Petrels (Pterodroma Mollis) Had Colonised the Antipodes Islands by the 1920S 290 Notornis, 2013, Vol. 60: 290-295 0029-4470 © The Ornithological Society of New Zealand, Inc. A hybrid gadfly petrel suggests that soft-plumaged petrels (Pterodroma mollis) had colonised the Antipodes Islands by the 1920s ALAN J.D. TENNYSON* Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, P.O. Box 467, Wellington, New Zealand HAYLEY A. LAWRENCE Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Molecular BioSciences, Massey University, Private Bag 102904, NSMC, Auckland, New Zealand GRAEME A. TAYLOR Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 10420, Wellington, New Zealand MICHAEL J. IMBER** 6 Hillcrest Lane, Levin 5500, New Zealand Abstract A unique Pterodroma petrel shot at sea near the Antipodes Islands in 1926 has features intermediate between white-headed petrel (Pterodroma lessonii) and soft-plumaged petrel (Pt. mollis). Its mitochondrial DNA indicates that its mother was a Pt. mollis and we conclude that it is a hybrid. We theorise that Pt. mollis had begun colonising Antipodes Island by the 1920s and some pairing with the locally abundant congeneric Pt. lessonii occurred. Hybridisation in Procellariiformes is rare worldwide but several cases have now been reported from the New Zealand region. Tennyson, A.J.D.; Lawrence, H.A.; Taylor, G.A.; Imber, M.J. 2013. A hybrid gadfly petrel suggests that soft-plumaged petrels (Pterodroma mollis) had colonised the Antipodes Islands by the 1920s. Notornis 60 (4): 290-295. Keywords soft-plumaged petrel; Pterodroma mollis; mitochondrial DNA; hybrid; Antipodes Islands INTRODUCTION Expedition, used in Murphy & Pennoyer’s (1952) On 17 Feb 1926 an unusual male gadfly petrel review paper on the larger gadfly petrels, because (Pterodroma sp.) (American Museum of Natural its small dimensions (Table 1) are not included in History AMNH 211660) was collected at sea by the Murphy & Pennoyer’s Table 2 data for Pt. lessonii Whitney South Seas Expedition at 50� S 179� W, just males. Thus, there is a suggestion that those authors east of the Antipodes Is (Bourne 1995). Although did not consider it to be Pt. lessonii, but no evidence identified as a white-headed petrel (Pterodroma was provided of what they thought it might be. lessonii) on the expedition label, it was not among Bourne (1995) examined this specimen in 1962 the skins of Pt. lessonii, mainly from the Whitney and noted that, although it was registered as a Pt. lessonii, its plumage more closely resembled the Received 28 Sep 2012; accepted 4 Nov 2013 smaller soft-plumaged petrel (Pt. mollis). As both *Correspondence: [email protected] species breed on Antipodes I, he speculated that ** Deceased it may be: (1) a hybrid between Pt. lessonii and Pt. A hybrid Pterodroma off the Antipodes Islands 291 Fig. 1. Three views of a gadfly petrel (Pterodroma sp.) AMNH 211660 shot east of the Antipodes Is in Feb 1926. Photos by Matthew Shanley (AMNH). mollis; (b) a pale variation or southern race of the intermediate in size between those of Pt. lessonii and Chatham Island taiko (Pt. magentae); or (c) a hybrid Pt. mollis but less robust than those of Pt. magentae, between Pt. lessonii and Pt. magentae (Bourne 1995). which has a deeper upper mandible. The Chatham Is archipelago is 700 km northeast In 1995 we borrowed the AMNH specimen to try of the Antipodes Is, so is well within the normal and resolve its identity by re-examining its plumage foraging range of gadfly petrels e.g.,( Rayner et al. and size, and examining its mitochondrial DNA in 2012). Another possibility briefly considered by relation to known Pterodroma species . Additionally Cooper & Tennyson (2008) is that AMNH 211660 is we reassessed the identity of unidentifiedPterodroma the recently extinct unnamed fossil Chatham Island skulls in case these had a bearing on the identity of “Pterodroma sp.1”. the AMNH specimen. Since the 1970s regurgitated Pterodroma skulls were collected from subantarctic skua (Catharacta antarctica lonnbergi) food middens during several METHODS trips to the Antipodes Is as one means of identifying We recorded the plumage colours of AMNH 211660 the distribution of petrels occurring there. Among and took measurements to compare it with similar the 457 skulls collected in 1978, MJI noted one species (see Table 1; Fig. 1). Measurements were Pterodroma skull (presumably Museum of New taken using vernier calipers accurate to 0.1 mm, a Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa NMNZ OR.29436) ruler accurate to 1 mm and a Pesola scale accurate that he was unable to identify; this was reported to 1 g. Our measurement techniques followed as “Pterodroma sp.” by Moors (1980). In 1994, Marchant & Higgins (1990). among an additional collection of 339 skulls, MJI DNA from a feather removed from AMNH identified another similar skull (presumably NMNZ 211660 was extracted and part of the mitochondrial OR.29437). A further collection of 662 Pterodroma cytochrome-b gene was amplified using Polymerase skulls by Jacinda Amey in Feb-Mar 1995 contained Chain Reaction (PCR). DNA extraction and PCR no such skulls. The 2 unusual skulls were well set-up were carried out in the Allan Wilson Centre ossified (therefore fully grown) and considered to be for Molecular Ecology and Evolution Ancient DNA 292 Tennyson et al. Table 1. Measurements (mm) of AMNH 211660 taken independently by AJDT, MJI and Bourne (1995), compared with those of Pterodroma lessonii and Pt. mollis from Antipodes I (1969, Warham & Bell 1979; Bourne in Bretagnolle 1995; 1995 live birds Nov, this study) and Pt. magentae from Chatham Is (Crockett 1994; GAT, unpubl. data for 1997-2011). The outer primary of AMNH 211660 was growing and may not have reached its full length (Bourne 1995) but it is near to its full length (authors, pers. obs.). For each species, measurements include mean + 1 SD, range (if available) and sample size (in parentheses). AMNH Species 211660 Measure (AJDT, MJI, Pt. lessonii Pt. lessonii Pt. mollis Pt. mollis Pt. mollis Pt. magentae Pt. magentae Bourne) (1969) (1995) (1969) (Bourne) (1995) (Crockett) (GAT) Bill-length 30.9 36.7+1.2 37.2+1.9 28.7+0.9 27.9+0.9 28.6+0.9 33.0+1.3 33.1+1.1 30.8 (25) 35.2-39.8 (8) (7) 26.4-30.0 30.3-35.1 30.9-35.1 (6) (20) (41) (71) 31 Bill-depth 14.5 - 17.4+0.8 - - 12.8+0.7 15.5+0.9 15.8+0.7 - 16.4-18.3 11.7-14.0 13.1-17.4 14.5-17.5 (6) (12) (39) (71) - Bill-width 13.1 - 15.5+1.6 - - 11.7+0.5 15.0+0.9 15.1+1.1 - 14.3-16.6 10.9-12.4 11.9-16.4 13.4-17.0 (2) (8) (40) (8) - Wing- 284 302.6+ 5.7 304+0 255.8+3.9 256+5.3 254.5+2.8 302+7.1 304+6.1 length 290 (22) (2) (6) (7) 250-263* 284-316 285-315 (8) (40) (46) 287+ Tail-length 126 130.6+5.5 130.0+3.0 114.9+4.0 113+5.1 111.3+3.2 129.1+4.1 126.9+4.2 125 (10) 128.1-133.4 (7) (7) 106-116 116.5-139 116.8-132.4 (3) (12) (40) (28) 127 Tarsus 40.5 44.0+1.5 46.8+0.7 33.9+0.7 35.9+0.9 36.1+0.9 41.3+1.6 41.6+1.5 41.9 (22) 45.7-47.4 (8) (7) 34.0-37.3 38.0-45.0 39.5-43.4 (4) (10) (38) (11) 42 Mid-toe 56.3 64.2+2.8 65.0+2.5 48.0+1.0 - 47.8+2.1 57.2+1.9 56.2+2.3 55.5 (16) 61.5-67.0 (8) 43.7-50.9 53.0-62.0 53.3-59.5 (4) (10) (41) (11) 53 Weight (g) - 574+34 612+21.5 276.2+27.1 - 298.4+22.9 459.4+30.6 477.8+36.5 - (9) 583-634 (8) 279-347 415-560 390-585 (4) (10) (41) (71) - * The outer primary of 3 of 6 Pt. lessonii and 15 of 23 Pt. mollis examined in 1995 were actively growing, so these measurements have not been included, except for one Pt. mollis whose wing length of 263 mm was longer than any other bird in our sample. Laboratory at Massey University Albany, Auckland. RESULTS DNA was extracted and amplified twice on separate We agree with Bourne (1995; and his note on the occasions and sequenced in both directions using specimen’s label “tend towards mollis?”), that the primers LCytB679 and HCytB780 (Lawrence et al. plumage of AMNH 211660 is closer to Pt. mollis 2008a; methods as in Lawrence et al. 2009). We aligned than to Pt. lessonii in that the dorsal surface of its the 102 base pair (bp) sequence (GenBank accession head and neck are medium grey, not pale grey no. JX854039) with other Pterodroma cytochrome-b to whitish; and the outer tail feathers are grey on sequences available on GenBank. In addition, 3 of us the outer webs, not white as in Pt. lessonii (Fig. 1). (AJDT, GAT and MJI) participated in an expedition However the dark breast band is not complete, to the Antipodes Is in Oct-Nov 1995 which aimed, as as in Pt. lessonii, whereas it usually is in Pt. mollis. one of its primary goals, to establish whether or not Pt. magentae has a dark hood and is much darker Pt. magentae occurred at this island group.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Pterodromarefs V1-5.Pdf
    Index The general order of species follows the International Ornithological Congress’ World Bird List. A few differences occur with regard to the number and treatment of subspecies where some are treated as full species. Version Version 1.5 (5 May 2011). Cover With thanks to Kieran Fahy and Dick Coombes for the cover images. Species Page No. Atlantic Petrel [Pterodroma incerta] 5 Barau's Petrel [Pterodroma baraui] 17 Bermuda Petrel [Pterodroma cahow] 11 Black-capped Petrel [Pterodroma hasitata] 12 Black-winged Petrel [Pterodroma nigripennis] 18 Bonin Petrel [Pterodroma hypoleuca] 19 Chatham Islands Petrel [Pterodroma axillaris] 19 Collared Petrel [Pterodroma brevipes] 20 Cook's Petrel [Pterodroma cookii] 20 De Filippi's Petrel [Pterodroma defilippiana] 20 Desertas Petrel [Pterodroma deserta] 11 Fea's Petrel [Pterodroma feae] 8 Galapágos Petrel [Pterodroma phaeopygia] 17 Gould's Petrel [Pterodroma leucoptera] 19 Great-winged Petrel [Pterodroma macroptera] 3 Grey-faced Petrel [Pterodroma gouldi] 4 Hawaiian Petrel [Pterodroma sandwichensis] 17 Henderson Petrel [Pterodroma atrata] 16 Herald Petrel [Pterodroma heraldica] 14 Jamaica Petrel [Pterodroma caribbaea] 13 Juan Fernandez Petrel [Pterodroma externa] 13 Kermadec Petrel [Pterodroma neglecta] 14 Magenta Petrel [Pterodroma magentae] 6 Mottled Petrel [Pterodroma inexpectata] 18 Murphy's Petrel [Pterodroma ultima] 6 Phoenix Petrel [Pterodroma alba] 16 Providence Petrel [Pterodroma solandri] 5 Pycroft's Petrel [Pterodroma pycrofti] 21 Soft-plumaged Petrel [Pterodroma mollis] 7 Stejneger's Petrel [Pterodroma longirostris] 21 Trindade Petrel [Pterodroma arminjoniana] 15 Vanuatu Petrel [Pterodroma occulta] 13 White-headed Petrel [Pterodroma lessonii] 4 White-necked Petrel [Pterodroma cervicalis] 18 Zino's Petrel [Pterodroma madeira] 9 1 General Bailey, S.F. et al 1989. Dark Pterodroma petrels in the North Pacific: identification, status, and North American occurrence.
    [Show full text]
  • The Taxonomy of the Procellariiformes Has Been Proposed from Various Approaches
    山 階 鳥 研 報(J. Yamashina Inst. Ornithol.),22:114-23,1990 Genetic Divergence and Relationships in Fifteen Species of Procellariiformes Nagahisa Kuroda*, Ryozo Kakizawa* and Masayoshi Watada** Abstract The genetic analysis of 23 protein loci in 15 species of Procellariiformes was made The genetic distancesbetween the specieswas calculatedand a dendrogram was formulated of the group. The separation of Hydrobatidae from all other taxa including Diomedeidae agrees with other precedent works. The resultsof the present study support the basic Procellariidclassification system. However, two points stillneed further study. The firstpoint is that Fulmarus diverged earlier from the Procellariidsthan did the Diomedeidae. The second point is the position of Puffinuspacificus which appears more closely related to the Pterodroma petrels than to other Puffinus species. These points are discussed. Introduction The taxonomy of the Procellariiformes has been proposed from various approaches. The earliest study by Forbes (1882) was made by appendicular myology. Godman (1906) and Loomis (1918) studied this group from a morphological point of view. The taxonomy of the Procellariiformes by functional osteology and appendicular myology was studied by Kuroda (1954, 1983) and Klemm (1969), The results of the various studies agreed in proposing four families of Procellariiformes: Diomedeidae, Procellariidae, Hydrobatidae, and Pelecanoididae. They also pointed out that the Procellariidae was a heterogenous group among them. Timmermann (1958) found the parallel evolution of mallophaga and their hosts in Procellariiformes. Recently, electrophoretical studies have been made on the Procellariiformes. Harper (1978) found different patterns of the electromorph among the families. Bar- rowclough et al. (1981) studied genetic differentiation among 12 species of Procellari- iformes at 16 loci, and discussed the genetic distances among the taxa but with no consideration of their phylogenetic relationships.
    [Show full text]
  • Before the Hearings Panel
    UNDER THE Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act 2012 (the Act) IN THE MATTER OF A Decision-making Committee appointed to consider a marine consent application by Chatham Rock Phosphate Limited to undertake mining of phosphorite nodules on the Chatham Rise STATEMENT OF EVIDENCE OF GRAEME ANDREW SYDNEY TAYLOR FOR THE CROWN 12 September 2014 CROWN LAW TE TARI TURE O TE KARAUNA PO Box 2858 WELLINGTON 6140 Tel: 04 472 1719 Fax: 04 473 3482 Counsel acting: Jeremy Prebble Email: [email protected] Telephone: 04 494 5545 Eleanor Jamieson Email: [email protected] Telephone: 04 496 1915 CONTENTS Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 INTRODUCTION 5 Qualifications and experience 5 Code of Conduct 5 Material considered 6 SCOPE OF EVIDENCE 7 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CHATHAM RISE FOR 7 SEABIRDS Importance of the Chatham Rise to the critically 11 endangered Chatham Island taiko Importance of the Chatham Rise to the endangered 14 Chatham petrel THE POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF THIS APPLICATION 16 ON VARIOUS SEABIRDS Operational light attraction 16 Other possible effects of the mining operations 18 including ecosystem changes and oil spills CONDITIONS 20 REFERENCES 24 APPENDIX 1: Seabird species of the Chatham Rise 26 DOCDM-1462846 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A. The Chatham Rise is the most productive ocean region in the New Zealand EEZ, due to the mixing of two major ocean current systems (the sub-tropical convergence). These productive waters provide one of the five key ocean habitats for seabirds in New Zealand. A definitive list of seabird species using this region is not available due to a lack of systematic seabird surveys.
    [Show full text]
  • (Pterodroma Axillaris) and Broad-Billed Prions (Pachyptila Vittata): Investigating Techniques to Reduce the Effects of Burrow Competition
    Lincoln University Digital Thesis Copyright Statement The digital copy of this thesis is protected by the Copyright Act 1994 (New Zealand). This thesis may be consulted by you, provided you comply with the provisions of the Act and the following conditions of use: you will use the copy only for the purposes of research or private study you will recognise the author's right to be identified as the author of the thesis and due acknowledgement will be made to the author where appropriate you will obtain the author's permission before publishing any material from the thesis. Differences in burrow site preferences between Chatham petrels (Pterodroma axillaris) and broad-billed prions (Pachyptila vittata): investigating techniques to reduce the effects of burrow competition. A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science in Animal Ecology at Lincoln University by w. 1. Sullivan Lincoln University 2000 Frontispiece Figure 1. Chatham petrel (Pterodroma axil/oris) Figure 2. Broad-billed prion (Pachyptila vittata) Abstract of a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of M. Sc. Differences in burrow site preferences between Chatham petrels (Pterodroma axillaris) and broad-billed prions (Pachyptila vittata): investigating techniques to reduce the effects of burrow competition. by W. J. Sullivan The Chatham petrel (Pterodroma axillaris Salvin) is an endangered species endemic to the Chatham Islands .. It is currently restricted to a population of less than 1000 individuals on South East Island. The key threat to breeding success is interference to chicks by broad- billed prions (Pachyptila vittata Forster), when they prospect for burrows for their oncoming breeding season.
    [Show full text]
  • Soft-Plumaged Petrel Pterodroma Mollis and Clarification of Polymorphism in the Species
    Graff et al.: Polymorphism in Soft-plumaged Petrel 161 FIRST DOCUMENTED AT-SEA RECORDS OF “INTERMEDIATE MORPH” SOFT-PLUMAGED PETREL PTERODROMA MOLLIS AND CLARIFICATION OF POLYMORPHISM IN THE SPECIES JOHN K. GRAFF1, ALAN COLLINS2 & MARTIN A. CAKE3 1 10 Melrose Crescent, Menora, Perth, Western Australia 6050, Australia ([email protected]) 2 87 Falls Road, Lesmurdie, Western Australia 6076, Australia 3 Veterinary & Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australia Received 20 February 2015, accepted 21 April 2015 SUMMARY GRAFF, J.K., COLLINS, A. & CAKE, M.A. 2015. First documented at-sea records of “intermediate morph” Soft-plumaged Petrel Pterodroma mollis and clarification of polymorphism in the species. Marine Ornithology 43: 161–164. The Soft-plumaged Petrel is a gadfly petrel that occurs widely across the southern oceans and exhibits plumage polymorphism. Pale- bellied individuals make up the vast majority of the species, while dark individuals are relatively rare. Intermediate forms are rarer still and, according to some authors, known only from museum specimens. We describe a number of at-sea records of intermediate-plumaged individuals seen off southwest Western Australia, including a previously undocumented streaked variant. Our observations indicate that plumage polymorphism within the species covers a continuous spectrum of variation between typical pale and wholly dark individuals. Keywords: Pterodroma mollis, Procellariidae, plumage polymorphism, Indian Ocean, Western Australia The Soft-plumaged Petrel Pterodroma mollis is one of several breeding grounds” (Onley & Scofield 2007, p. 185). However, gadfly petrels that exhibit plumage polymorphism. Here, we clarify this status is clouded by variations in the treatment of intermediate confusion over the prevalence, and in one case the disappearance, birds by different authorities.
    [Show full text]
  • ECOLOGY, TAXONOMIC STATUS, and CONSERVATION of the SOUTH GEORGIAN DIVING PETREL (Pelecanoides Georgicus) in NEW ZEALAND
    ECOLOGY, TAXONOMIC STATUS, AND CONSERVATION OF THE SOUTH GEORGIAN DIVING PETREL (Pelecanoides georgicus) IN NEW ZEALAND BY JOHANNES HARTMUT FISCHER A thesis submitted to Victoria University of Wellington in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Conservation Biology School of Biological Sciences Faculty of Sciences Victoria University of Wellington September 2016 Supervisor: Dr. Heiko U. Wittmer, Senior Lecturer at the School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington. © Johannes Hartmut Fischer. September 2016. Ecology, Taxonomic Status and Conservation of the South Georgian Diving Petrel (Pelecanoides georgicus) in New Zealand. ABSTRACT ROCELLARIFORMES IS A diverse order of seabirds under considerable pressure P from onshore and offshore threats. New Zealand hosts a large and diverse community of Procellariiformes, but many species are at risk of extinction. In this thesis, I aim to provide an overview of threats and conservation actions of New Zealand’s Procellariiformes in general, and an assessment of the remaining terrestrial threats to the South Georgian Diving Petrel (Pelecanoides georgicus; SGDP), a Nationally Critical Procellariiform species restricted to Codfish Island (Whenua Hou), post invasive species eradication efforts in particular. I reviewed 145 references and assessed 14 current threats and 13 conservation actions of New Zealand’s Procellariiformes (n = 48) in a meta-analysis. I then assessed the terrestrial threats to the SGDP by analysing the influence of five physical, three competition, and three plant variables on nest-site selection using an information theoretic approach. Furthermore, I assessed the impacts of interspecific interactions at 20 SGDP burrows using remote cameras. Finally, to address species limits within the SGDP complex, I measured phenotypic differences (10 biometric and eight plumage characters) in 80 live birds and 53 study skins, as conservation prioritisation relies on accurate taxonomic classification.
    [Show full text]
  • Status and Occurrence of Murphy's Petrel (Pterodroma Ultima) in British Columbia. by Rick Toochin and Louis Haviland. Submitte
    Status and Occurrence of Murphy’s Petrel (Pterodroma ultima) in British Columbia. By Rick Toochin and Louis Haviland. Submitted: April 15, 2018. Introduction and Distribution The Murphy’s Petrel (Pterodroma ultima) is a seldom seen seabird species that is listed by Bird Life International (2016) and IUCN (2016) as Near Threatened. This species breeds on islands of the Tropical Pacific Ocean from the Pitcairn Island group (Henderson Island, Oeno Island, and Ducie Island) (Murphy and Pennoyer 1952); the Tuamotu Island group (Mururoa Island and Fangataufa Island); islets of Rapa (Austral group) (Garnett 1984); and Manui in Gambier group (Thibault 1988); Easter Island and Salas y Gomez, Chile (Flores et al. 2014); and possibly on Cook Island (Gill 1996); and the Juan Fernandez Islands (Flood et al. 2016). In the Pitcairn Islands, an estimated 2,500 (± 500) bred on Henderson, 12,500 (± 2,500) on Oeno, and 250,000 (± 29,000) on Ducie (Brooke 1995). Following rat eradication on Oeno in 1997, the population there had grown to at least 25,000 pairs in 2013 (IUCN 2016) In the Tuamotu Islands, colonies occur on Mururoa and Fangataufa (Holyoak and Thibault 1984), although these may have disappeared owing to nuclear tests and the recent construction of an airstrip (IUCN 2016). In the Austral Islands, it breeds only on a limited number of islets off Rapa where the population was estimated at 10-100 pairs in 1990 (Thibault and Varney 1991). In the Gambier Islands, proof of breeding was found for the first time on Manui and numbers were estimated at 5-10 pairs (Thibault and Bretagnolle 1999).
    [Show full text]
  • Global Spatial Ecology of Three Closely-Related Gadfly Petrels Raül Ramos1, Iván Ramírez2, Vitor H
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Global spatial ecology of three closely-related gadfly petrels Raül Ramos1, Iván Ramírez2, Vitor H. Paiva3, Teresa Militão1, Manuel Biscoito4,7, Dília Menezes5, Richard A. Phillips6, Francis Zino4,7 & Jacob González-Solís1 Received: 30 September 2015 The conservation status and taxonomy of the three gadfly petrels that breed in Macaronesia is still Accepted: 03 March 2016 discussed partly due to the scarce information on their spatial ecology. Using geolocator and capture- Published: 22 March 2016 mark-recapture data, we examined phenology, natal philopatry and breeding-site fidelity, year-round distribution, habitat usage and at-sea activity of the three closely-related gadfly petrels that breed in Macaronesia: Zino’s petrel Pterodroma madeira, Desertas petrel P. deserta and Cape Verde petrel P. feae. All P. feae remained around the breeding area during their non-breeding season, whereas P. madeira and P. deserta dispersed far from their colony, migrating either to the Cape Verde region, further south to equatorial waters in the central Atlantic, or to the Brazil Current. The three taxa displayed a clear allochrony in timing of breeding. Habitat modelling and at-sea activity patterns highlighted similar environmental preferences and foraging behaviours of the three taxa. Finally, no chick or adult was recaptured away from its natal site and survival estimates were relatively high at all study sites, indicating strong philopatry and breeding-site fidelity for the three taxa. The combination of high philopatry, marked breeding asynchrony and substantial spatio-temporal segregation of their year-round distribution suggest very limited gene flow among the three taxa.
    [Show full text]
  • Threats to Seabirds: a Global Assessment 2 3 4 Authors: Maria P
    1 Threats to seabirds: a global assessment 2 3 4 Authors: Maria P. Dias1*, Rob Martin1, Elizabeth J. Pearmain1, Ian J. Burfield1, Cleo Small2, Richard A. 5 Phillips3, Oliver Yates4, Ben Lascelles1, Pablo Garcia Borboroglu5, John P. Croxall1 6 7 8 Affiliations: 9 1 - BirdLife International. The David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street Cambridge CB2 3QZ UK 10 2 - BirdLife International Marine Programme, RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, SG19 2DL 11 3 – British Antarctic Survey. Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, 12 Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK 13 4 – Centre for the Environment, Fishery and Aquaculture Science, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, NR33, UK 14 5 - Global Penguin Society, University of Washington and CONICET Argentina. Puerto Madryn U9120, 15 Chubut, Argentina 16 * Corresponding author: Maria Dias, [email protected]. BirdLife International. The David 17 Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street Cambridge CB2 3QZ UK. Phone: +44 (0)1223 747540 18 19 20 Acknowledgements 21 We are very grateful to Bartek Arendarczyk, Sophie Bennett, Ricky Hibble, Eleanor Miller and Amy 22 Palmer-Newton for assisting with the bibliographic review. We thank Rachael Alderman, Pep Arcos, 23 Jonathon Barrington, Igor Debski, Peter Hodum, Gustavo Jimenez, Jeff Mangel, Ken Morgan, Paul Sagar, 24 Peter Ryan, and other members of the ACAP PaCSWG, and the members of IUCN SSC Penguin Specialist 25 Group (Alejandro Simeone, Andre Chiaradia, Barbara Wienecke, Charles-André Bost, Lauren Waller, Phil 26 Trathan, Philip Seddon, Susie Ellis, Tom Schneider and Dee Boersma) for reviewing threats to selected 27 species. We thank also Andy Symes, Rocio Moreno, Stuart Butchart, Paul Donald, Rory Crawford, 28 Tammy Davies, Ana Carneiro and Tris Allinson for fruitful discussions and helpful comments on earlier 29 versions of the manuscript.
    [Show full text]
  • Conservation of Zino's Petrel Pterodroma Madeira in the Archipelago of Madeira
    Oryx Vol 35 No 2 April 2001 Conservation of Zino's petrel Pterodroma madeira in the archipelago of Madeira Francis Zino, Paulo Oliveira, Susan King, Alan Buckle, Manuel Biscoito, H. Costa Neves and Amilcar Vasconcelos Abstract Birds restricted to islands are susceptible to introduced rats, to the extent that no young fledged. In extinction, and burrow or ground-nesting birds are 1986 the Freira Conservation Project was founded with particularly vulnerable to introduced mammalian pred- the aim of increasing the population of Zino's petrel, by ators. Human intervention has also played a vital part. controlling rats and human interference, the principal Birds have been used as a source of food, and in more perceived threats to the species. This control was recent times the rarer species have suffered from extended to cats after the disaster of 1991, in which a specimen and egg collection. The island of Madeira cat(s) managed to get onto one of the breeding ledges and its resident species, which include the endemic and kill 10 adult birds. The results of these efforts have Zino's petrel or Madeira freira Pterodroma madeira, are no been positive and the small colony is making a slow, but exception. From subfossil evidence, this bird was once steady recovery. To maintain this success, a conserva- abundant. It was first recorded in 1903, and was already tion strategy for the future is suggested. limited to the high central mountain massif of Madeira. By the middle of the century it was considered extinct, Keywords conservation, control, introduced species, but a relict population was rediscovered in 1969.
    [Show full text]
  • 2012 Conservation Action Plan for the Black-Capped Petrel (Pterodroma Hasitata)
    January 2012 Conservation Action Plan for the Black-capped Petrel (Pterodroma hasitata) Edited by James Goetz, Jessica Hardesty-Norris and Jennifer Wheeler Contact Information for Editors: James Goetz Cornell Lab of Ornithology Cornell University Ithaca, New York, USA, E-mail: [email protected] Jessica Hardesty-Norris American Bird Conservancy The Plains, Virginia, USA E-mail: [email protected] Jennifer Wheeler U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arlington, Virginia, USA E-mail: [email protected] Suggested Citation: Goetz, J.E., J. H. Norris, and J.A. Wheeler. 2012. Conservation Action Plan for the Black-capped Petrel (Pterodroma hasitata). International Black-capped Petrel Conservation Group http://www.fws.gov/birds/waterbirds/petrel Funding for the production of this document was provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Table Of Contents Introduction . .1 Status Assessment . 3 Taxonomy . .......................................................... 3 Population Size And Distribution. 3 Physical Description And Natural History . .................................. 4 Species Functions And Values. 5 Conservation And Legal Status. 6 Threats Assessment. 6 Current Management Actions . ........................................... 8 Accounts For Range States With Known Or Potential Breeding Populations . ........ 9 Account For At-Sea (Foraging) Range . .................................... 14 Conservation Recommendations . .17 Conservation Framework. 17 Conservation Actions. 17 Ongoing Planning And Implementation . .................................
    [Show full text]
  • Bulweria Petrels Off the Comoros, South-West Indian Ocean
    Hadoram Shirihai & Vincent Bretagnolle 348 Bull. B.O.C. 2015 135(4) Bulweria petrels off the Comoros, south-west Indian Ocean by Hadoram Shirihai & Vincent Bretagnolle Received 17 January 2015 During pelagic work to study ‘Mohéli Shearwater’ Puffinus persicus temptator (Shirihai & Bretagnolle 2015), on 4, 5 and 8 November 2014, HS conservatively estimated the presence of 130 individuals of a Bulweria petrel off the Comoros, with max. 48 on 8 November, between Grande Comoro and Mohéli (at c.12°01’S, 43°43E), and another 16 between Mohéli and Anjouan and north of Anjouan on 9 November. This petrel was the fourth most abundant seabird observed, after Brown Noddy Anous stolidus, Sooty Tern Onychoprion fuscatus and Mohéli Shearwater. As noted by Zonfrillo (1988) the two Bulweria, Bulwer’s B. bulwerii and Jouanin’s Petrels B. fallax are clearly separated in biometrics, with the latter larger and heavier. Although the Comoros Bulweria appeared closer in size to B. fallax, we refrain from making a specific identification, as HS considered them to be smaller than other B. fallax he has seen. The relative location of the Comoros, with sea surface temperatures of 25oC, also better fit B. fallax (known to breed on Socotra, and possibly on the Arabian mainland). They were not B. bulwerii, which occurs over colder, more southerly waters. Observations of both Bulweria in the south-west Indian Ocean were summarised by Safford & Hawkins (2013); cf. Ryan et al. (2013) for recent evidence of B. fallax in the eastern Indian Ocean. HS observed two Bulweria (also unidentified to species as size was difficult to estimate, like the Comoros birds) off Mombasa, Kenya, in November 1996.
    [Show full text]