A novel foraging strategy in gentoo penguins breeding at sub-Antarctic Marion Island

Carpenter-Kling, Tegan; Handley, Jonathan; Green, David B.; Reisinger, Ryan R; Makhado, Azwainewi B.; Crawford, Robert J. M.; Pistorius, Pierre A.

doi:10.1007/s00227-016-3066-9

Cited by 21 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…For example, some individuals displayed consistency in the proportion of pelagic diving from one trip to the next while others were able to switch from being mostly benthic on one trip to being entirely pelagic. This highlights the need to sample multiple trips to obtain a more accurate description of a bird's foraging behaviour, particularly in inshore foragers which may exhibit behavioural plasticity (Saraux et al 2011, Carpenter-Kling et al 2017. The large inter-and intra-individual variation in foraging behaviour discussed here might contribute to gentoos having stable or expanding populations in parts of their range (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Intra- and inter-individual variation in the foraging ecology of a generalist subantarctic seabird, the gentoo penguin

Camprasse¹,

Cherel²,

Bustamante³

et al. 2017

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Individual specialisations have been suggested to improve foraging efficiency by optimising individual capacity (physiological and behavioural) and reducing intra-specific competition in exploiting prey resources. In this study, we investigated the inter-and intra-individual variation in behaviour in an opportunistic forager, the gentoo penguin Pygoscelis papua, at Kerguelen Island, southern Indian Ocean. We used complementary bio-logging and stable isotope analyses, coupled with morphometric measurements, to: (1) determine the inter-individual variation in morphology and foraging behaviour; (2) quantify intra-individual variation in foraging behaviour; (3) investigate the links between consistency in foraging, distances travelled and body condition; and (4) determine if dietary specialisations exist and are maintained outside the breeding season. We show that this species exhibits a large inter-individual variation in foraging behaviour, with some individuals conducting very short trips close to the colony while others travelled considerably farther. Heavier individuals tended to forage in more distant locations, dive deeper and perform more benthic dives. Individual specialisation in behaviour was low to moderate at the population level, yet some individuals were very consistent. The rate of travel was not influenced by consistency, and there was a lack of correlation between body condition and foraging consistency. High inter-individual variation in feeding ecology and dietary specialisations outside of a single breeding season were observed, consistent with gentoo penguins being Type 'B' generalists (i.e. generalist populations composed of individuals each consuming a different range of foods).

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Intra- and inter-individual variation in the foraging ecology of a generalist subantarctic seabird, the gentoo penguin

Camprasse¹,

Cherel²,

Bustamante³

et al. 2017

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…In addition, several studies have documented the onset of bimodal/dual foraging strategies (Wanless et al, 1994;Weimerskirch et al, 1994;Magalhães et al, 2008;Welcker et al, 2009;Jakubas et al, 2012). In these cases, birds alternate between short and long trips which generally, but not always (Carpenter-Kling et al, 2017), relate to chick and self-provisioning, respectively (Granadeiro et al, 1998;Weimerskirch, 1998). Understanding the range of behavioral expressions associated with foraging plasticity is important for population and ecosystem-based management.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability in the Foraging Distribution and Diet of Cape Gannets between the Guard and Post-guard Phases of the Breeding Cycle

Botha

Pistorius

2018

Front. Mar. Sci.

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During breeding, seabirds are central place foragers and are sensitive to changes in local prey availability. As the breeding season progresses, foraging behavior and distribution is expected to change in response to possible changes in local prey availability. In addition, adult gender, and the increasing nutritional demands of a growing chick may also influence the foraging behavior of individuals. At present, relatively few studies have assessed the foraging behavior of adult birds during the late post-guard stages of chick rearing. Through a combination of GPS tracking and diet sampling we investigated the foraging distances, spatial distribution, and prey composition of adult Cape gannets (Morus capensis) during the guard and post-guard stages of chick rearing. We found no clear evidence for consistent sex-specific differences in foraging distances and spatial distribution during the guard stage, although marginal differences in the location of core foraging areas during the post-guard stage were apparent. Results, however, revealed a clear increase in foraging range from the early guard to the late post-guard stage of chick rearing. During December the diet was comprised almost exclusively of anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus), the proportion of which had decreased significantly in the diet by January. This was mirrored by a substantial increase in the proportion of saury (Scomberesox saurus). These results suggest that Cape gannets show flexibility in the foraging behavior and diet, which may be related to changes in the abundance and distribution of prey or may reflect changes in the energetic requirements of the growing offspring. This study provides the first assessment of Cape gannet foraging behavior and spatial distribution during the post-guard stage of chick rearing. The importance of considering intra-annual variability in foraging distribution when using seabird tracking data in trophic and marine spatial planning studies are highlighted.

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“…Deployed individuals were chosen based on the likelihood that the camera would start recording while the bird was at sea. For Gentoo and King penguins, we deployed devices in the afternoon and selected birds likely to depart the following day, estimated from time spent at the nest (assuming daily foraging trips for Gentoo penguins (Carpenter-Kling et al, 2017), and weekly trips for King penguins (Charrassin et al, 1998)). We performed Macaroni penguin deployments in the early morning, choosing females (discernible by relative bill size) from present pairs and assuming a same-day departure (Whitehead, 2017).…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Macaroni penguins forage within the upper 100 m of the water column and predominantly target small crustaceans (Brown & Klages, 1987;Pichegru et al, 2011). In contrast to the former two species, Gentoo penguins tend to feed on a wide range of prey (Adams & Brown, 1989;Handley et al, 2017), in both pelagic and benthic habitat (Carpenter-Kling et al, 2017). We deployed video cameras with built-in microphones on foraging penguins of these three species to study their underwater vocal production.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First evidence of underwater vocalisations in hunting penguins

Thiebault

Charrier

Aubin

et al. 2019

PeerJ

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Seabirds are highly vocal on land where acoustic communication plays a crucial role in reproduction. Yet, seabirds spend most of their life at sea. They have developed a number of morphological, physiological and behavioural adaptations to forage in the marine environment. The use of acoustic signals at sea could potentially enhance seabirds’ foraging success, but remains largely unexplored. Penguins emit vocalisations from the sea surface when commuting, a behaviour possibly associated with group formation at sea. Still, they are unique in their exceptional diving abilities and feed entirely underwater. Other air-breathing marine predators that feed under water, like cetaceans, pinnipeds and marine turtles, are known to emit sound underwater, but such behaviour has not yet been described in seabirds. We aimed to assess the potential prevalence and diversity of vocalisations emitted underwater by penguins. We chose three study species from three different genera, and equipped foraging adults with video cameras with built-in microphones. We recorded a total of 203 underwater vocalisation from all three species during 4 h 43 min of underwater footage. Vocalisations were very short in duration (0.06 s on average), with a frequency of maximum amplitude averaging 998 Hz, 1097 Hz and 680 Hz for King, Gentoo and Macaroni penguins, respectively. All vocalisations were emitted during feeding dives and more than 50% of them were directly associated with hunting behaviour, preceeded by an acceleration (by 2.2 s on average) and/or followed by a prey capture attempt (after 0.12 s on average). The function of these vocalisations remain speculative. Although it seems to be related to hunting behaviour, these novel observations warrant further investigation.

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A novel foraging strategy in gentoo penguins breeding at sub-Antarctic Marion Island

Cited by 21 publications

References 67 publications

Intra- and inter-individual variation in the foraging ecology of a generalist subantarctic seabird, the gentoo penguin

Intra- and inter-individual variation in the foraging ecology of a generalist subantarctic seabird, the gentoo penguin

Variability in the Foraging Distribution and Diet of Cape Gannets between the Guard and Post-guard Phases of the Breeding Cycle

First evidence of underwater vocalisations in hunting penguins

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