Breeding Biology of Blue Petrels<i>Halobaena caerulea</i>at the Prince Edward Islands

Fugler, S R; Hunter, Stephen; Newton, I.P.; Steele, W.

doi:10.1071/mu9870103

Cited by 34 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…This is the first unequivocal proof that house mice are significant predators of healthy seabird chicks. Three published records of possible house mouse predation ( Fugler et al 1987;Ainley et al 1990;Campos & Granadeiro 1999) were all on small chicks (less than 50 g) and could have been the result of mice scavenging/killing moribund chicks or taking abandoned eggs. Gough mice are relatively large compared with natural populations elsewhere (Berry et al 1979).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can predation by invasive mice drive seabird extinctions?

Angel²,

et al. 2007

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The house mouse, Mus musculus , is one of the most widespread and well-studied invasive mammals on islands. It was thought to pose little risk to seabirds, but video evidence from Gough Island, South Atlantic Ocean shows house mice killing chicks of two IUCN-listed seabird species. Mouse-induced mortality in 2004 was a significant cause of extremely poor breeding success for Tristan albatrosses, Diomedea dabbenena (0.27 fledglings/pair), and Atlantic petrels, Pterodroma incerta (0.33). Population models show that these levels of predation are sufficient to cause population decreases. Unlike many other islands, mice are the only introduced mammals on Gough Island. However, restoration programmes to eradicate rats and other introduced mammals from islands are increasing the number of islands where mice are the sole alien mammals. If these mouse populations are released from the ecological effects of predators and competitors, they too may become predatory on seabird chicks.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can predation by invasive mice drive seabird extinctions?

Angel²,

et al. 2007

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“…When taking into account the chicks followed during the whole study period only, the overall mass gain of chicks was positive (15 ± 35 g) in 10 d, with significant differences between years (-3 ± 28, 33 ± 37 and 11 ± 30 g for summers 1995, 1996 and 1997, respectively, 1-way ANOVA, F 2,76 = 7.62, p = 0.001). The large range in mass of the chicks was due to the 2 wk delay in the timing of the breeding cycle between early and late pairs of blue petrels (Fugler et al 1987, Weimerskirch et al 1989.…”

Section: Food Mass and Feeding Frequencymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since keratin is metabolically inert after synthesis (Kelly & Finch 1998), the stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of feathers are markers that have the potential for investigating the birds' trophic relationships and foraging areas during the moulting period (Bocher et al 2000, Cherel et al 2000a. In adult blue petrels, as in many seabirds, flight feathers are synthesised after the breeding season, in February and March, before birds transiently return to their burrows in April and May (Fugler et al 1987, Marchant & Higgins 1990). Thus, a comparison of the stable isotope ratios of feathers from chicks (which moult in their burrows while being fed by their parents) with those from adults can give valuable information on foraging grounds of adult seabirds during chick rearing and moult, respectively.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet and feeding ecology of blue petrels Halobaena caerulea at Iles Kerguelen, Southern Indian Ocean

Cherel¹,

Bocher²,

Trouvé³

et al. 2002

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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ABSTRACT:The food and feeding ecology of the blue petrel Halobaena caerulea was investigated over 4 consecutive chick-rearing periods at Iles Kerguelen. In all years, blue petrels fed on a large diversity of crustaceans and fish, with a small proportion of squid and other organisms. Crustaceans ranked first by number (98%) and second by reconstituted mass (37%). The hyperiid Themisto gaudichaudii and the euphausiid Thysanoessa sp. were the dominant prey items, accounting each for 42% by number, and for 12 and 4% by mass of the diet, respectively. Other important crustacean prey were the Antarctic krill Euphausia superba (2% by number and 10% by mass) and the large shrimp Pasiphaea scotiae (<1 and 5%, respectively). Fish were minor items by number (<1%) but, owing to their large size, they dominated the diet by reconstituted mass (57%). Mesopelagic fish of the families Myctophidae (14% by mass) and Melamphaidae (12%) were the main fish prey together with the gempylid Paradiplospinus gracilis (19%). Adult blue petrels use a 2-fold foraging strategy, performing short trips (ST, 2 d on average) and long trips (LT, 7 d) during the chick-rearing period. Birds fed more on T. gaudichaudii during ST and more on Thysanoessa sp. during LT. The subantarctic krill Euphausia vallentini were found in ST samples, and Antarctic krill and stomach oil were found in LT samples. Biogeography of the prey shows that blue petrels fed in a wide variety of marine habitats. During ST, they foraged in the kelp belt and over the shelf, but favoured oceanic waters in the vicinity of the archipelago. During LT, the occurrence of Antarctic krill indicates feeding in southern Antarctic waters, >1000 km from the breeding colonies, but blue petrels also foraged on their way back to Iles Kerguelen from these distant foraging grounds to feed their chicks. A comparison of the stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions of chick and adult feathers reveals that adult blue petrels fed at the same trophic level during the chick-rearing and moulting period, and that they renew their flight feathers in Antarctic waters. KEY WORDS: Euphausia superba · Mesopelagic fish · Seabirds · Stable carbon isotopes · Stable nitrogen isotopes · Themisto gaudichaudii · Thysanoessa Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher INTRODUCTIONThe blue petrel Halobaena caerulea is a small procellariiform species that is taxonomically closely related to the prions (genus Pachyptila). It is the sole member of the genus and inhabits the subantarctic and Antarctic zones of the Southern Ocean (Warham 1990). The species is circumpolar and nests colonially in burrows at 6 locations close to the Antarctic polar front. The main population of blue petrels is in the southern Indian Ocean and at Diego Ramirez (Chile) with smaller numbers at Macquarie and South Georgia (Marchant & Higgins 1990). At Iles Kerguelen, the species is numerous (100 000 to 200 000 pairs), and it breeds sympatrically with 3 different prion species: the fairy prion P. turtur a...

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“…Adults of the 3 petrel species renew their whole plumage on a yearly basis; hence, all collected feathers corresponded to the 2003 moult. In TBP and BP, adult moult occurs after completion of the breeding cycle, mainly in March to May and February to March, respectively, so that BP have fresh plumage at the post-nuptial stage in April to May (Fugler et al 1987, Marchant & Higgins 1990. In contrast, CDP adults begin to moult during the late chick-rearing period and resume feather synthesis at sea afterwards (Payne & Prince 1979, Marchant & Higgins 1990.…”

Section: Study Site Birds and Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Well-feathered chicks were handled near fledging. BP adults transiently return to their burrows in fall, with failed breeders and non-breeding birds going back to the colony earlier than successful breeders (Fugler et al 1987, Marchant & Higgins 1990. Hence, 2 additional groups of BP were caught in April and May (the early and late post-nuptial birds, respectively).…”

Section: Study Site Birds and Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seabird year-round and historical feeding ecology: blood and feather δ13C and δ15N values document foraging plasticity of small sympatric petrels

Cherel¹,

Connan²,

Jaeger³

et al. 2014

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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International audienceThe foraging ecology of small seabirds remains poorly understood because of the difficulty of studying them at sea. Here, the extent to which 3 sympatric seabirds (blue petrel, thinbilled prion and common diving petrel) alter their foraging ecology across the annual cycle was investigated using stable isotopes. δ13C and δ15N values were used as proxies of the birds' foraging habitat and diet, respectively, and were measured in 3 tissues (plasma, blood cells and feathers) that record trophic information at different time scales. Long-term temporal changes were investigated by measuring feather isotopic values from museum specimens. The study was conducted at the subantarctic Kerguelen Islands and emphasizes 4 main features. (1) The 3 species highlight a strong connection between subantarctic and Antarctic pelagic ecosystems, because they all foraged in Antarctic waters at some stages of the annual cycle. (2) Foraging niches are stagedependent, with petrels shifting their feeding grounds during reproduction either from oceanic to productive coastal waters (common diving petrel) or from subantarctic to high-Antarctic waters where they fed primarily on crustaceans (blue petrel and thin-billed prion). (3) The common diving petrel segregated from the surface-feeders blue petrel and thin-billed prion by a coastal habitat and lower trophic level prey, while the blue petrel segregated from the thin-billed prion by foraging further south and including more fish in its diet. (4) Feather δ13C and δ15N values from historical and recent specimens of thin-billed prion depicted a pronounced temporal shift to higher latitudes in its main moulting ground, where it feeds on higher trophic level prey. The study contributes to growing evidence that seabirds exhibit considerable foraging plasticity and sheds new light on their flexibility at different time scales (from intra-seasonal to decadal)

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Breeding Biology of Blue PetrelsHalobaena caeruleaat the Prince Edward Islands

Cited by 34 publications

References 8 publications

Can predation by invasive mice drive seabird extinctions?

Can predation by invasive mice drive seabird extinctions?

Diet and feeding ecology of blue petrels Halobaena caerulea at Iles Kerguelen, Southern Indian Ocean

Seabird year-round and historical feeding ecology: blood and feather δ13C and δ15N values document foraging plasticity of small sympatric petrels

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