DOCSLIB.ORG

Comparative Biology of the Burrowing Petrels of the Crozet Islands

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Comparative Biology of the Burrowing Petrels of the Crozet Islands NOTORNIS Journal of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand Volume 32 Part 3 September 1985 OFFICERS 1985-86 President - B. BROWN, 20 Redrnount Place, Red Hill, Papakura Vice-president - D. E. Crockett, 21 McMillan Ave., Kamo, Whangarei Editor - B. D. HEATHER, 10 Jocelyn Crescent, Silverstream Treasurer - D. F. BOOTH, P.O. Box 35357, Browns Bay, Auckland 10 Secretary - R. S. SLACK, c/o P.O., Pauatahanui, Wellington Council Members: BEN D. BELL, Zoology Dept, Victoria University, Private Bag, Well~ngton BRIAN D. BELL, 9 Ferry Road, Seatoun, Wellington P. C. BULL, l3lA Waterloo Road, Lower Hutt P. D. GAZE, Ecology Division, Private Bag, Nelson B. J. GILL, Auckland Institute & Museum, Private Bag, Auckland J. HAWKINS, 772 Atawhai Drive, Nelson P. M. SAGAR, 38A Yardley Street, Christchurch 4 Conveners and Organisers: Rare Birds Committee: Secretary, J. F. M. FENNELL, 224 Horndon Street, Dqrfield, Canterbury Beach Patrol: R. G. POWLESLAND, Wildlife Service, Dept. of Internal Affairs, Private Bag, Wellington Librarian: A. J. GOODWIN, R.D. 1, Clevedon Nest Records: H. A. ROBERTSON, Ecology Division, DSIR, Private Bag, Lower Hutt Classa ied Summarised Notes - gorth Island: L. HOWELL, 38 Olcahu Rd.. Kaitaia South Island: P. D. GAZE, Ecology Division, DSIR, Private Bag, Nelson S.W. Pacific Island Records: J. L. MOORE, 32 Brook St., Lower Hutt Editor of OSNZ news: P. SAGAR, 38A Yardley St., Christchurch 4 SUBSCRIPTIONS AND MEMBERSHIP Annual Subscri tion: Ordinary member $20; Husband & Wife mem- bers $30; funior member (under 20) $15; Life Member $400; Family member (one Notornis er household) bein other family of a member in the same houseg old as a member 510; Institution $40; Overseas member and overseas institution $5.00 extra (postage). Subscriptions are for the calendar year of first joining and are renewed b invoice each anuary. Please pay promptly to ensure receiving hYotornis and 0I NZ News. Applications for membership, changes of address and resignations should be sent to the Treasurer. Exchanges and library subscriptions should be sent to the Treasurer. Editorial matters ONLY should be sent to the Editor. [Registered with the GPO Gisborne as a publication] ISSN 0029-4470 CONTENTS JOUVWTIN, P.; MOUGIN, J. -L.; STAI-IL,J. -C.; WEIMERSKIRCH, H. Comparative Biology of the Burrowing Petrels of the Crozet Islands... CUNNINGHAM, D. M.; MOORS, P. J. The Birds of the Noises Islands, Hauraki Gulf... .. .. .. .. .. .... .... .. FENN]F:LL, J. F. M.; SAGAR, P. M.; FENNELL, J. S. Variation within the Redpolls of Canterbury . .. .. Short Notes CHILD, P. A Cattle Egret . .. .. .. .. MORRISON, K.; MORRISON, J. V. Unusual riverbed birds in the Eglington Valley, Fiordland . .. .. .. FENNELL, J.; SAGAR, P. Variation between Redpolls in Four Southern New Zealand Localities . McCALLUM, J.; BROOK, F.; FRANCIS, M. Buller's Mollymawks on Rosemary Rock, Three Kings Islands, in 1985... NOTMAN, P. Blue Penguin attacked by Fur Seal.. GILL, B. J.; TURBOTT, E. G. Barn Owls transported by aircrafi - a post script . .. .. .. Printed by TE RAU PRESS LTD.,Peel Street. Cisborne REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES FAR N0RTH:L. Howell, 38 Okahu Rd., Kaitaia. Ph. 7424. NORTHLAND: D. E. Crockett , 21 McMillan Ave., Kamo, Whangarei. Ph. 50954. AUCKLAND: M. J. Taylor, 28 Awarua Crescent, Orakei, Auckland 5. Ph. 549234. SOUTH AUCKLAND: Beth Brown, 20 Redrnount Place, Red Hill, Papakura. Ph. 2988157. WAIKATO: F. ~ieuwland,38 Berkley Ave., Hamilton. Ph. 62045. BAY OF PLENTY: P. C. M. Latham, c/o Papamoa Beach P.O., via Te Puke Ph. 420406. VOLCANIC PLATEAU: J. G. Innes, Loop Road, Okareka. Rotorua. Ph. 28107. GISBORNE/ WAIROA: J. C. Henley, 9 Mason St. ,Gisborne. Ph. 81581. TARANAKI: D. G. Medway, 25A Norman Street, New Plymouth. MANAWATU: L. J. ~aies,71 Jickell Street, ~almektonNorth. WANGANUI: Ph. 70159. HAWKES BAY: K. V. Todd, 2/416 E. Heretaunga Street, Hastings. Ph. 82172. WAIRARAPA: C. Scadden. 15 Madden Place. Masterton. Ph. 86423 WELLINGTON: R. N. Thomas, 6 Satara Crescent, Khandallah, Wellington 4. Ph. 791165. NELSON: J. Hawkins, 772 Atawhai Drive, Nelson. Ph. 520151. MARLBOROUGH: P. Jenkins, 234 Howick Rd., Blenheim. Ph. 83775. CANTERBURY: E. Graham, Woodchester, 76 Banks Ave., Christchurch 6. WEST COAST: C. S. Lauder, 9 Winnie Street, Greymouth. Ph. 6349. OTAGO: P. Schweigman, 121 Maryhill Terrace, Maryhill, Dunedjn. Ph. 52790 SOUTHLAND: W. J. Cooper, 218 Chelrnsford Street, Invercargill. Ph. 75281. LITERATURE AVAILABLE From all bookshops: A field guide to the birds of New Zealand, by R. A. Falla, R. B. Sibson and E. G. Turbott, new ed. $19.95 From M. Bishop, Maungakura Road, R.D. 3, Helensville: Back numbers of 'Notornis ': Parts of Vol. 1, 50c each Vols. 2-13, $1.00 per part; Vois. 14-21, $1.50 per park; Vos. 22-25, $2.00 per part; Vols. 26-29, $3.00 per part; Vols. 30-, $5.00 per part; all plus postage (10% in NZ). Reports and bulletins (1939-1942) $2.00 OSNZ Library catalogue (1976 ed) 17 pp. $0.55 Bandin re orts, Nos8-14, 55ceach. Kermatec Ldition. 1964, by A. T. Edgar. $0.50 Amendments & Additions to 1970 Checklist $2.00 NOTORNIS is the journal of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand (Inc.) Editor: B. D. Heather, 10 Jocelyn Crescent SILVERSTREAM Volume 32 Part 3 September. 1985 COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY OF THE BURROWING PETRELS OF THE CROZET ISLANDS By P. JOUVENTIN, J. -L. MOUGIN, J. -C. STAHL and H. WEIMERSKIRCH ABSTRACT This paper presents, as well as some earlier data, the results of a study of the burrowing petrels of the Crozet Islands (South Indian Ocean) made during the East Island expedition of September 1981 to February 1982. The 16 petrels are discussed and analysed in the following taxonomic groups: 4 gadfly petrels, 5 pions, 2 Pro~elZariapetrels, 3 storm petrels and 2 diving petrels. For each group, biometric data and the breeding biology of each species are given. The timing of events (first return to land, laying, hatching, fledging), nest reoccupation, incubation schedule, chick growth and chick-feeding pattern were the main study topics. Abundance cycles during pairing, temporary egg desertions, nest selection, comparison with other localities and particularly ecological segregation of the petrels are discussed. INTRODUCTION The Crozet Islands, discovered in 1772 by the French navigator Nicolas Marion-Dufresne, lie in the Indian Ocean between longitudes 50'00' and 52O30 ' E and latitudes 45O50 'and 46O30' S. A recent study (Gamberoni er al. 1982) showed that the Antarctic Convergence is displaced northwards in the Crozet - Kerguelen region by the shelves of these island groups. The Crozet Islands are more than 300 km south of the Polar Front but north of the limit of the subsurface temperature minimum between 48O and 49O S. Thus, the chief hydrological characteristic of this region is the limited extent of subantarctic waters because the Antarctic and Subtropical Convergences are very close together (43' and 41' respectively). CROZET ISLANDS Ip km .e Apostle Islands 46OOO.S L Hog Island co 2 Q I I Z z-I INDIAN OCEAN o,z C Possession lsland I East lsland Q Penguin lsland -46 "30' S z S 1 50°30'E 151°00'E 151°30'~ I SZ0O0'E 0 3 3 J -Z V) FIGURE 1 - Location and map of the Crozet Islands 1985 BURROWING PETRELS OF CROZET ISLANDS 159 The Crozet Islands are scattered over about 150 km east to west and have an estimated total land area of about 500 km2. There are two groups of islands (Fig. 1); to the west, Hog Island, Penguin Island and Apostle Islands, and to the east, Possession Island and East Island. The islands are volcanic in origin and are small (the largest, Possession Island, is 18 km on its longest side), but the topography is complex and rises to quite a high altitude. The highest point is 1050 m on East Island. The coastline alternates between cliffs and beaches of sand or boulders. The interior consists of large glacial valleys separated by rocky ridges or high plateaus. The tundra-type vegetation (no trees occur on the Crozets) does not extend higher than 300 m ad. The climate is severe, even for the "roaring forties". The temperatures are cold, the mean annual temperature being + 4.6OC. There is a small variation in temperature between the warmest month (February, + 7.7OC) and the coldest (September, + 2.8OC), but the climate is characterised by violent winds, which have a mean annual speed of 12 m/s (43 km/h) and a maximum of 70 m/s (252 km/h). For example, in 1980 the wind blew at speeds of more than 115 km/h on 93 days. Sunshine hours are low overall (a monthly mean of 103 hours) and rainfall is high (2470 mm per annum). During winter, snowfalls are frequent but there is no permanent snow on the islands. We have shown elsewhere (Jouventin et al. 1984) that the Crozet Islands shelter a rich seabird community. East Island has the most birds of the group. Of the 34 seabird species breeding on the Crozets, 32 are on East Island, which lacks introduced predators (cats and rats). This island is the breeding ground of 23 procellariiformes (5 albatrosses, 13 procellarids, 3 storm petrels and 2 diving petrels) compared with 15 on Possession Island, 8 on Hog Island, 18 on Penguin Island and 15 on Apostle Islands. Of these 23 species, 15 nest in burrows. The only burrowing species of the Crozets missing on East Island is the White-headed Petrel (Pterodroma lessonii), which nests only on Possession Island. Studies of burrowing petrels of the Crozet group are therefore best done on East Island. A study of this kind was lacking. The whole breeding cycle of some of these petrels -Pterodroma brevirosrris (Mougin 1969), I?lessonii (Barre 1976), Procellaria aequinoctialis (Mougin 1970, 1971), and Procellaria cinerea (Barrat 1974, Despin 1976) - had been studied on Possession Island.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • University of Cape Town
    The effects of introduced mice on seabirds breeding at sub-Antarctic Islands Ben J. Dilley Thesis presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Town FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology DST/NRF Centre of Excellence Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science University of CapeCape Town of June 2018 University Supervised by Professor Peter G. Ryan The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derivedTown from it is to be published without full acknowledgement of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes Capeonly. of Published by the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. University Declaration This thesis reports original research that I conducted under the auspices of the FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town. All assistance received has been fully acknowledged. This work has not been submitted in any form for a degree at another university. ………………….................. Ben J. Dilley Cape Town, June 2018 i A 10 day-old great shearwater Ardenna gravis chick being attacked by an invasive House mouse Mus musculus in an underground burrow on Gough Island in 2014 (photo Ben Dilley). ii Table of Contents Page Abstract ....................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1 General introduction: Islands, mice and seabirds ......................................................... 1 Chapter 2 Clustered or dispersed: testing the effect of sampling strategy to census burrow-nesting petrels with varied distributions at sub-Antarctic Marion Island ...... 13 Chapter 3 Modest increases in densities of burrow-nesting petrels following the removal of cats Felis catus from sub-Antarctic Marion Island ...................................
    [Show full text]
  • An Assessment for Fisheries Operating in South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands
    FAO International Plan of Action-Seabirds: An assessment for fisheries operating in South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands by Nigel Varty, Ben Sullivan and Andy Black BirdLife International Global Seabird Programme Cover photo – Fishery Patrol Vessel (FPV) Pharos SG in Cumberland Bay, South Georgia This document should be cited as: Varty, N., Sullivan, B. J. and Black, A. D. (2008). FAO International Plan of Action-Seabirds: An assessment for fisheries operating in South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands. BirdLife International Global Seabird Programme. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, UK. 2 Executive Summary As a result of international concern over the cause and level of seabird mortality in longline fisheries, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Committee of Fisheries (COFI) developed an International Plan of Action-Seabirds. The IPOA-Seabirds stipulates that countries with longline fisheries (conducted by their own or foreign vessels) or a fleet that fishes elsewhere should carry out an assessment of these fisheries to determine if a bycatch problem exists and, if so, to determine its extent and nature. If a problem is identified, countries should adopt a National Plan of Action – Seabirds for reducing the incidental catch of seabirds in their fisheries. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) are a United Kingdom Overseas Territory and the combined area covered by the Territorial Sea and Maritime Zone of South Georgia is referred to as the South Georgia Maritime Zone (SGMZ) and fisheries within the SGMZ are managed by the Government of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) within the framework of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living (CCAMLR).
    [Show full text]
  • A Bulwer's Petrel Bulweria Bulwerii in Victoria
    AUSTRALIAN 114 BIRD WATCHER AUSTRALIAN BIRD WATCHER 1989, 13, 114-117 A Bulwer's Petrel Bulweria bulwerii in Victoria by MIKE CARTER1 and TIM REID2 130 Canadian Bay Road, Mt Eliza, Victoria 3930 2Flat 2/61 Fawkner Street, St Kilda, Victoria 3182 Summary A Victorian record of Bulwer's Petrel Bulweria bulwerii is documented and discussed in relation to previous reports in the Australian region and vagrancy in the Atlantic. The observation A Bulwer's Petrel Bulweria bulwerii was seen at sea near Portland in south-western Victoria on 14 September 1986. It was flying among massed feeding seabirds at 38 ~l'S, 141 "34 'E, five nautical miles south-south-east of Cape Nelson. The sounder aboard the 12.8 m long fishing vessel engaged on an RAOU Seabird Group excursion indicated the depth of the ocean floor to be 75 m. Thus we were above the continental shelf in inshore waters. The bird was under observation for only a few minutes just before 0830 h E.S.T., but was well seen and scrutinised for diagnostic characters when it was realised that it was either one of the all-dark 'sooty' storm-petrels Oceanodroma spp. or a Bulwer's Petrel. The closest it approached the boat was about 50 m. The light was dull because of the heavily overcast skies but as the bird passed to the south and west of our position, the sun was behind us so viewing conditions were advantageous. Although the bird hugged the surface of the sea, it was only occasionally lost from view behind waves until it changed direction, headed away from the boat and disappeared.
    [Show full text]
  • A New Genus for the Kerguelen Petrel by Storrs L. Olson Received 10 February 1999
    Storrs L. Olson 59 Bull. B.O.C. 2000 120(1) A new genus for the Kerguelen Petrel by Storrs L. Olson Received 10 February 1999 The Kerguelen Petrel {Pterodroma brevirostris auct.) is an inhabitant of stormy southern seas, breeding at the islands of Kerguelen, Crozet, Marion, Tristan da Cunha, and Gough. Like the bird itself, its specific and generic nomenclature has been through some rough weather. The Kerguelen Petrel was long placed among the gadfly petrels of the genus Pterodroma (formerly Aestrelata or Oestrelata). Imber (1985) used characters of the upper intestine, supplemented with data from Mallophaga and behavioural traits, to show that the Kerguelen Petrel was not closely related to Pterodroma. He resurrected Mathews' (1942) name Lugensa for it and placed it among the fulmarine petrels, a treatment that has had influential followers (e.g. Sibley & Monroe 1990). Imber's observations were preceded by those of Harper (1973) who noted major differences between skulls of the Kerguelen Petrel and Pterodroma mollis, which, along with P. inexpectata and P. ultima, had been thought to be a close ally (Jouanin & Mougin, 1979). My own examination of skeletons of the Kerguelen Petrel showed this species to be very different from all available taxa of Pterodroma, and more similar to fulmarines in certain characters, such as in the configuration of the distal end of the humerus. On the basis of mitochondria! DNA sequences, Nunn (1994) reported the Kerguelen Petrel to be a fulmarine and not part of the genus Pterodroma. He referred it to the genus Lugensa. In a subsequent phytogeny based on the same kinds of data (Nunn & Stanley 1998), Lugensa was still separated from Pterodroma but was placed nearer the shearwaters (Puffinus and Calonectris).
    [Show full text]
  • Conservation Status of New Zealand Birds, 2008
    Notornis, 2008, Vol. 55: 117-135 117 0029-4470 © The Ornithological Society of New Zealand, Inc. Conservation status of New Zealand birds, 2008 Colin M. Miskelly* Wellington Conservancy, Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 5086, Wellington 6145, New Zealand [email protected] JOHN E. DOWDING DM Consultants, P.O. Box 36274, Merivale, Christchurch 8146, New Zealand GRAEME P. ELLIOTT Research & Development Group, Department of Conservation, Private Bag 5, Nelson 7042, New Zealand RODNEY A. HITCHMOUGH RALPH G. POWLESLAND HUGH A. ROBERTSON Research & Development Group, Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 10420, Wellington 6143, New Zealand PAUL M. SAGAR National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 8602, Christchurch 8440, New Zealand R. PAUL SCOFIELD Canterbury Museum, Rolleston Ave, Christchurch 8001, New Zealand GRAEME A. TAYLOR Research & Development Group, Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 10420, Wellington 6143, New Zealand Abstract An appraisal of the conservation status of the post-1800 New Zealand avifauna is presented. The list comprises 428 taxa in the following categories: ‘Extinct’ 20, ‘Threatened’ 77 (comprising 24 ‘Nationally Critical’, 15 ‘Nationally Endangered’, 38 ‘Nationally Vulnerable’), ‘At Risk’ 93 (comprising 18 ‘Declining’, 10 ‘Recovering’, 17 ‘Relict’, 48 ‘Naturally Uncommon’), ‘Not Threatened’ (native and resident) 36, ‘Coloniser’ 8, ‘Migrant’ 27, ‘Vagrant’ 130, and ‘Introduced and Naturalised’ 36. One species was assessed as ‘Data Deficient’. The list uses the New Zealand Threat Classification System, which provides greater resolution of naturally uncommon taxa typical of insular environments than the IUCN threat ranking system. New Zealand taxa are here ranked at subspecies level, and in some cases population level, when populations are judged to be potentially taxonomically distinct on the basis of genetic data or morphological observations.
    [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]
  • 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]
  • Annexes Annex I. UNEA Resolution 1/6 Marine Plastic Debris and Microplastics the United Nations Environment Assembly, Recalling
    Annexes Annex I. UNEA Resolution 1/6 Marine plastic debris and microplastics The United Nations Environment Assembly, Recalling the concern reflected in the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, entitled: “The Future We Want”,that the health of oceans and marine biodiversity are negatively affected by marine pollution, including marine debris, especially plastic, persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals and nitrogen-based compounds, from numerous marine and land-based sources, and the commitment to take action to significantly reduce the incidence and impacts of such pollution on marine ecosystems, Noting the international action being taken to promote the sound management of chemicals throughout their life cycle and waste in ways that lead to the prevention and minimization of significant adverse effects on human health and the environment, Recalling the Manila Declaration on Furthering the Implementation of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities adopted by the Third Intergovernmental Review Meeting on the Implementation of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities, which highlighted the relevance of the Honolulu Strategy and the Honolulu Commitment and recommended the establishment of a global partnership on marine litter, Taking note of the decisions adopted by the eleventh Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity on addressing the impacts
    [Show full text]
  • Considering Nominations to Annex 1 of the Agreement – List of Candidate Species
    AC11 Inf 04 Agenda Item 10 & 14 Eleventh Meeting of the Advisory Committee Florianópolis, Brazil, 13 – 17 May 2019 Considering nominations to Annex 1 of the Agreement – list of candidate species Secretariat At AC3, 129 species of Procellariformes were assessed using a number of categories in order to provide Parties with an approximate priority list of new species that might be considered for nomination to Annex 1 of ACAP (AC3 Doc 18). Following discussions at AC8, six of the original eight categories were retained and the scoring system was adopted by the 5th session of the Meeting of Parties (MoP5 Doc 21). Subsequent to MoP5, the at-sea threats and migratory nature scores for all species were reviewed (SBWG7 Doc 25). The review recommended updates to those scores for 15 species, and noted the need for clarification regarding the categorization of at-sea threats, as well as the overlap between some of the categories. AC8 also asked the Taxonomy Working Group (TWG) to recommend a standard taxonomy to be used when considering new species for Annex 1 and for other ACAP purposes. At AC10, the TWG recommended the use of the International Ornithological Congress (IOC) listing based on its use of the widest evidence base and peer review process (AC10 Doc 22 Rev 1). AC10 endorsed this recommendation and advised MoP6 accordingly. The taxonomic treatment used currently for species already listed on Annex 1 remains unchanged (Thalassarche steadi remains on the list as a full species). Table 1 lists all procellariform species according to IOC World Bird List v9.1 taxonomy, together with the scores assigned to assess their suitability and priority for listing on Annex 1 of the Agreement.
    [Show full text]
  • Influx of the Pantropical Bulwer's Petrel Bulweria
    Gorta: Bulwer’s Petrel influx in Tasman Sea 145 INFLUX OF THE PANTROPICAL BULWER’S PETREL BULWERIA BULWERII INTO THE TASMAN SEA SIMON B. Z. GORTA Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia ([email protected]) Received 03 November 2020, accepted 13 December 2020 ABSTRACT GORTA, S.B.Z. 2021. Southern influx of the pantropical Bulwer’s Petrel Bulweria bulwerii into the Tasman Sea. Marine Ornithology 49: 145–150. Seabirds exploit marine habitats for resources, responding to many complex environmental signals that ultimately drive their distributions. Occasionally, influxes of seabird species to regions outside their normal range occur and determining the drivers of these patterns can aid in understanding their ecology and their conservation. I documented five birdwatching observations of Bulwer’s Petrel Bulweria bulwerii in the Tasman Sea between 24 January and 08 March 2020, roughly 2 000 km south of their core range. Based on demographic, environmental, and anecdotal observations of seabirds, cetaceans, and bait fish, I suggest that the influx was most likely resource-driven, rather than accidental, age-related, or directly linked to adverse weather. Increasingly frequent observations of Bulwer’s Petrel off eastern Australia may also indicate a southward distributional shift in this pantropical seabird, and monitoring of this potential shift will depend on the documentation of further observations. Key words: Procellariiformes, seabird, vagrant, extralimital, East Australian Current, tropicalisation, marine productivity INTRODUCTION Marine areas are inherently difficult to survey, so most of the unusual influxes of seabirds that have been documented are from Seabirds represent a diverse and functionally important group nearshore or beach-washed records; therefore, counts are likely to of predators in marine ecosystems and spend most of their underestimate the number of birds involved.
    [Show full text]
  • A Biophysical Profile of the Tristan Da Cunha Archipelago (PDF)
    A biophysical profile of Tristan da Cunha -Sue Scott - 2017 A Biophysical Profile of the Tristan da Cunha Archipelago Sue Scott Commissioned and reviewed by The Pew Charitable Trusts 2017 1 A biophysical profile of Tristan da Cunha -Sue Scott - 2017 Contents 1. Key information on Tristan da Cunha 7 2. Geophysical setting 11 2.1. Isolated islands 11 2.2. Geology and topography 11 2.3. Climate 17 3. The ecology and biodiversity of the marine ecosystems of Tristan da Cunha 21 3.1. The pelagic ecosystem 21 3.1.1. Oceanography and ecosystem productivity 21 3.1.2. Plankton and pelagic life 25 3.1.3. Pelagic fishes 27 3.2. Marine biological surveys 29 3.3. The coastal environment 32 3.3.1. The seabed 32 3.3.2. Tides 34 3.3.3. Seashore 35 3.3.4. Intertidal bedrock and stable boulders 35 3.3.5. Rock pools and channels 39 3.3.6. Boulder beaches 42 3.4. Shallow subtidal to 40m depth 43 3.5. Deeper subtidal 45 3.6. Deep sea 48 3.7. Diversity and biogeography of benthic biota 53 3.7.1. Diversity and biogeography of fish communities 53 3.7.2. Diversity and biogeography of invertebrates 57 3.7.3. Diversity and biogeography of macroalgae 60 4. Marine mammals of Tristan da Cunha 67 4.1. Introduction 67 4.2. Seals (order Carnivora) 68 4.2.1. Eared Seals (family Otariidae) 68 4.2.2 True Seals (family Phocidae) 70 4.2.3. Rare vagrant seals 72 4.3.
    [Show full text]
  • The Kerguelen Petrel Lugensa Brevirostris in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean, with Notes on Osteology - and Plumage-Based Identification
    Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia, 22(1), 42-48 SHORTCOMMUNICATION March 2014 The Kerguelen Petrel Lugensa brevirostris in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean, with notes on osteology - and plumage-based identification Giovanni N. Maurício1,2,4, Jonathas Barreto3, and Leandro Bugoni1 1 Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande – FURG, CEP 96.203-900, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil Universidade Federal de Pelotas – UFPel, Centro de Integração do Mercosul, Rua Andrade Neves, 1529, CEP 96.020-080, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil 3 Laboratório de Nectologia, Departamento de Oceanografia e Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo – UFES, Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514, CEP 29.075-710, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil 4 Corresponding author: [email protected] Received on 23 August 2013. Accepted on 22 November 2013. ABSTRACT. Southwestern Atlantic/eastern South American records of the Kerguelen Petrel Lugensa brevirostris are scarce, comprised only of specimens found dead on the coast. Here we present a review of records known from this region, including a novel record based on a specimen stranded at Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Additionally, we draw the attention of ornithologists and observers to problems of specimen identification, even in museums, when one needs to separate Kerguelen Petrel from dark- morph Herald Petrel Pterodroma arminjoniana or other dark-plumaged gadfly petrels of the genus Pterodroma. For identification of museum specimens, we recommend the use of an osteological character state, which allows unequivocal identification of Kerguelen Petrels, namely the wide and fenestrated fossa glandulae nasalis of the frontal bone. KEY-WORDS: diagnostic characters, osteological characteristics, petrel, Procellariidae, review, South America.
    [Show full text]