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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
*
[email protected]
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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 

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References

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