26-Oct-17

Foraging behavior,
food, reproduction

DAILY PATTERN OF FORAGING

 The diurnal pattern of foraging exhibited by
most seabirds is probably influenced by
extrinsic factors that are related to prey
availability.
 For example, Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa
tridactyla) in Alaska do not forage at the same
time every day, but shift their foraging
schedule to coincide with daily tidal cycles

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FEEDING METHODS
Arial Pursuit
Underwater

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Marine Birds

Feeding strategies

Marine Birds

Beak
shapes:

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Marine Birds

Shorebirds – beak length

DIET

 Seabird diets usually consist of a very limited range

of taxa: primarily pelagic fishes, squid, and
crustaceans, with krill and euphausiids being the
most common arthropods.
 However, some species, such as skuas and gulls,
also prey heavily upon other seabirds, primarily
during the breeding season.
 Giant petrels (Macronectes spp.) are predators of
penguins and burrowing petrels, but also may
scavenge carcasses of seabirds and seals.

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 The composition of seabird diets usually is

not static among years, seasons, or even
weeks.
 Changes in diet probably more reflect
changes in the marine prey base or shifts in
foraging habitat than they reflect inherent
changes in preference.

Albatross Food Chain

Image credits: Phytoplankton: NOAA MESA Project, Zooplankton: NOAA/D.Forcucci; NOAA Central Library/Charleston Bump Expedition 2003. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration;
Dr. George Sedberry, South Carolina DNR, Principal Investigator, Fish: NOAA, NEFSC, Squid: NOAA/MBARI 2006, Albatross: NOAA Corps/Lieutenant Elizabeth Crapo

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METHODS FOR STUDYING SEABIRD DIETS

Duffy and Jackson (1986) reviewed the various methods
available for determining seabird diets. At that time, the primary
means of assessing diet composition were :
1. examining stomach contents;
2. catching birds and collecting food samples resulting from
either spontaneous or forced regurgitation;
3. collecting prey samples dropped near nest sites; and (4)
visually identifying prey carried in the bill, usually during the
delivery of prey by adults to chicks.

A recent method involving stable isotope analysis has been

used effectively to make inferences regarding trophic
positions of seabirds in marine food webs. Each method has its
own associated limitations and biases, and methods chosen
must depend on the goals of the study.

Life Cycle and Adaptations

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Nesting sites in the middle of the Pacific

The Albatross Reproductive

Cycle
 Adults usually breed for the first time between ages 6 – 12
and can breeding every other year for their entire lifetime,
which can last 60 years or more!
 Mates return to the colony in late October and females lay
a single egg in November or December. Both parents
incubate the egg.
 Chicks hatch January to February, after about 66 days of
incubation.
 The chick is attended continuously for about 20 days,
guarded for another 10 days, and then visited by the
parents only briefly to be fed until late June.

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Albatross Gather in Colonies to

Lay Their Eggs

Midway Atoll, an island in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, is a

World War II battle site. Many thousands of Laysan Albatross raise
their young here among the runways and military buildings.

Adult Albatross Perform

Mating Dances
Two Laysan
Albatross
adults doing a
courtship or
mating dance
– the many
poses include
“sky pointing”
as seen here.

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Different Dances for Different

Species

Video provided on website

Albatross Egg

Female albatross breeding in the Pacific lay a single large egg

in November or December. Two eggs in a nest usually means
the pair bond is between two females. Pair bonds can last a
lifetime or until one of the birds dies or disappears.

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Laysan Albatross on the Nest

Albatross parents take turns incubating the egg for about 2-3
months.

Newly Hatched Laysan Albatross Chick

For the first few weeks when chicks are little, they require
constant protection to survive the heat, wind and rain. If the
island has predators, such as rats, they especially need
protection until they are big enough to fend for themselves in
the nest.

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Albatross Chicks Get Much

Larger Prior to Fledging

As they grow, adult feathers replace the fluffy

down.

Adult Albatross Feeding Large

Chick

The parents feed chicks by regurgitating food and

nutritious oil into their throats.

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Video provided on website for download

Typical nesting
habitat and
location of each
species for a
colony of
seabirds along
the coast of
eastern Canada.

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Albatross Chicks Exercise Their

Wings and Practice Flying Before
Fledging

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SEABIRDS:

FISHERIES, POLLUTION AND

CONSERVATION

FISHERIES AND SEABIRD

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POLLUTION AND SEABIRD

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Human Impacts
• Pollution – pesticides, PCBs, metals

Bioaccumulation,
biomagnification

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CONSERVATION OF SEABIRD

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Hot spots

daerah dengan endemisitas tinggi dan keanekaragaman yang

tinggi
= Spesies dengan area yang terbatas

hot spots
EBAs (endemic bird areas) tidak terdistribusi secara acak
tetapi terkonsentrasi di daerah tropis

(Bibby et al. [1992] after Brown and Lomolino [1998])

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jumlah EBAs yang sangat tidak proporsional terdapat di

pulau-pulau (kepulauan)
pulau hanya menutup <10% dari wilayah bumi
hampir separuh dari semua EBA ada di pulau (insular)

(Bibby et al. [1992] after Brown and Lomolino [1998])

International Seabird Conservation

 Seabirds spend much of their lives over the open ocean,
returning to land only to breed and raise young.
 Because seabirds migrate long distances, even across
entire oceans, effective seabird conservation requires
international cooperation.
 While albatross and petrels face threats both at sea and
on land, interactions with fisheries are currently
considered to be among the most serious.
 Although they can be caught in virtually any type of
fishing gear, albatrosses and petrels are most often
taken in longline fisheries.
 They are vulnerable to getting hooked, entangled in
fishing gear, and ingesting offal (processed fish scraps)
containing hooks from fishing operations.

International Cooperation is Key

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