Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-8kt4b Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-23T12:00:00.274Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

An incubating northern giant petrel actively feeds on a Salvin's prion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 November 2019

Christopher W. Jones Open the ORCID record for Christopher W. Jones [Opens in a new window] ,
Michelle M. Risi  and
John Cooper
Christopher W. Jones*
Affiliation:
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
Michelle M. Risi
Affiliation:
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
John Cooper
Affiliation:
Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa
*
chrisj22123@gmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Pelagic seabirds often nest on islands that are far from productive foraging areas. The Procellariiformes (petrels, shearwaters and albatrosses) are among the longest-ranging seabirds; they have several adaptations that permit them to efficiently utilize distant foraging areas and fast for long periods during incubation (Phillips & Hamer 1999). Giant petrels (Macronectes spp.) are large surface-nesting procellariiforms. They feed both by direct predation and by scavenging carrion, and they are the largest avian predator-scavengers in the Southern Ocean. Among procellariiform seabirds, one partner forages while their mate remains on the nest to incubate their single egg (Warham 1990). Northern giant petrels (Macronectes halli) have incubation shifts lasting up to 17 days (Cooper et al. 2001). In general, incubating procellariiform seabirds do not feed during their shift (Warham 1990). We report the first case to our knowledge of a procellariiform seabird, a northern giant petrel, actively feeding at its nest whilst incubating.

Type
Short Note
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 31 , Issue 6 , December 2019 , pp. 317 - 318
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2019 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Cooper, J., Brooke, M.D.L., Burger, A.E., Crawford, R.J.M., Hunter, S. & Williams, A.J. 2001. Aspects of the breeding biology of the northern giant petrel (Macronectes halli) and the southern giant petrel (M. giganteus) at sub-Antarctic Marion Island. International Journal of Ornithology, 4, 53–68.Google Scholar
Copello, S., Quintana, F. & Pérez, F. 2008. Diet of the southern giant petrel in Patagonia: fishery-related items and natural prey. Endangered Species Research, 6, 10.3354/esr00118.Google Scholar
De Bruyn, P.J.N., Cooper, J., Bester, M.N. & Tosh, C.A. 2007. The importance of land-based prey for sympatrically breeding giant petrels at sub-Antarctic Marion Island. Antarctic Science, 19, 10.1017/S0954102007000053.Google Scholar
Dilley, B.J., Davies, D., Connan, M., Cooper, J., De Villiers, M., Swart, L., et al. 2013. Giant petrels as predators of albatross chicks. Polar Biology, 36, 10.1007/s00300-013-1300-1.Google Scholar
González-Solís, J., Croxall, J.P. & Wood, A.G. 2000. Sexual dimorphism and sexual segregation in foraging strategies of northern giant petrels, Macronectes halli, during incubation. Oikos, 90, 10.1034/j.1600-0706.2000.900220.x.Google Scholar
Hunter, S. & Brooke, M.D.L. 1992. The diet of giant petrels Macronectes spp. at Marion Island, southern Indian Ocean. Colonial Waterbirds, 15, 56–65.Google Scholar
Phillips, R.A. & Hamer, K.C. 1999. Lipid reserves, fasting capability and the evolution of nestling obesity in procellariiform seabirds. Proceedings of the Royal Society, B266, 10.1098/rspb.1999.0783.Google Scholar
Ryan, P.G., Dilley, B.J., Jones, C. & Bond, A.L. 2015. Blue petrels Halobaena caerulea discovered breeding on Gough Island. Ostrich, 86, 10.2989/00306525.2015.1005558.Google Scholar
Warham, J. 1990. The petrels: their ecology and breeding systems. London: Academic Press, 452 pp.Google Scholar