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The impact of Raccoons Procyon lotor on breeding seabirds at Englefield Bay, Haida Gwaii, Canada

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2010

Anthony J. Gaston  and
Michelle Masselink
Anthony J. Gaston
Affiliation:
Canadian Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Research Centre, 100 Gamelin Blvd., Hull, Quebec, Canada K1A oH3
Michelle Masselink
Affiliation:
Appt. 209, 1380 Foothills Blvd., Prince George, British Columbia, Canada V2M 6V8
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Abstract

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Raccoons Procyon lotor were introduced into the Haida Gwaii archipelago of British Columbia in the 1940s and have spread throughout the islands. Although feeding mainly on inter-tidal invertebrates, they also take seabirds. Haida Gwaii supports internationally important populations of several species of burrow-nesting auks. In 1993, we visited several islands to determine the current status of their seabird populations. We found extensive signs of predation on auks by raccoons, including burrows that had been excavated and carcasses from which little had been eaten, suggesting excess killing. On islands with raccoons, numbers of burrow nesting auks had fallen by as much as 80% since 1986, whereas on islands without raccoons numbers had remained stable or increased. The evidence obtained suggests that burrow nesting auks will not coexist with raccoons and that once raccoons are established the auk populations will be rapidly extirpated.

Type
Research Article
Information
Bird Conservation International , Volume 7 , Issue 1 , March 1997 , pp. 35 - 51
Copyright
Copyright © Birdlife International 1997

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