Moult intensity in blue petrels and a key moult site off West Antarctica

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Peter G. Ryan ◽  
Jasmine R. Lee ◽  
Fabrice Le Bouard
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Food Source ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Primary Mass ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Antarctic Waters ◽  
Marginal Ice Zone ◽  
Wing Moult ◽  
Cape Horn

AbstractBlue petrels (Halobaena caerulea Gmelin) rapidly moult their flight feathers in Antarctic waters in February–April, immediately following the breeding season, yet the behaviour of moulting birds at sea has not been described. We observed large numbers of moulting blue petrels off West Antarctica from 67–71°S and 78–119°W in mid-February 2017. Most of these birds probably breed at the Diego Ramirez archipelago, southwest of Cape Horn, which is the closest colony to this area. Moulting petrels often sit on the water in dense flocks, just outside the marginal ice zone, at sea temperatures of -0.7 to 0.9°C. Wing moult is intense, with 7–8 inner primaries (62–75% of primary length and 55–69% of primary mass), their corresponding primary coverts and all greater secondary coverts being grown at the same time. Moulting petrels need a reliable food source during this energetically demanding period, so the waters off West Antarctica are probably crucial for the Diego Ramirez population, which makes up more than half of the world's blue petrels.

scholarly journals The biology of Limacina retroversa

1954 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 297-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. Morton
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Detailed Account ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
History Of ◽  
Clione Limacina

The Plymouth Fauna List contains records of two genera of pteropods, Limacina and Clione. Of the first, Limacina retroversa (Flem.) is by far the better-known species, apparently occurring regularly at Plymouth in large numbers in townettings from outside, and sometimes inside, the Sound. It breeds at Plymouth from June to August, and Lebour (1932) has given a detailed account of its breeding and larval stages and has discussed its role in the plankton. The second species of Limacina at Plymouth is lesueuri (d'Orbigny), which has been observed from time to time since 1906, when it was very common. The last record in the Fauna is off the Breakwater in 1920. Of the gymnosomatous pteropods, Clione limacina Phipps is the only species regularly occurring. Lebour (1931) has described the life history of this form, and mentions February to August as its months of greatest abundance. Its breeding season is June to August. Another gymnosome, tentatively referred to as Clionina longicauda, is reported by Russell (1936), and from the specimen department at Plymouth Laboratory the writer obtained some preserved specimens, not easily identifiable, of a Pneumodermopsis taken locally; its species is perhaps ciliata, recorded by Massy (1917) from the Irish Coast.

Seed predation by birds shortly after a wildfire in a Corsican pine forest

2006 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Claude Thibault ◽  
Roger Prodon
Keyword(s):  
Seed Predation ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Pine Forest ◽  
Potential Food Source ◽  
Coal Tit ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Seed Eating ◽  
Parus Ater ◽  
Burnt Areas ◽  
Potential Food

We examined the response of birds to a severe summer wildfire in a Corsican pine forest during the first months following the disturbance. Only seed-eating species visited the burnt areas in large numbers. While certain trunks or branches were still burning, numerous birds, among them the coal tit Parus ater and the Corsican nuthatch Sitta whiteheadi, were attracted by the large amount of pine seeds made available by the opening of the cones under the action of heat. The number of seed-harvesting birds declined afterwards. We discuss how seed hoarding by tits and nuthatches enabled these resident birds to survive during the first winter after the fire in a burnt environment where seeds remained the only potential food source.

Breeding-season habitat use by sticklebacks (Pisces: Gasterosteidae) at Isle Verte, Quebec

1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (9) ◽  
pp. 2126-2130 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. G. Whoriskey ◽  
G. J. Fitzgerald
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marsh ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Habitat Choice ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Tidal Salt Marsh ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Marsh Pools ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

We examined habitat use patterns of three species of sticklebacks as they moved from the St. Lawrence estuary into tidal salt marsh pools to breed. All three species apparently avoided pools that dried out and settled more often in pools that retained their water. Habitat choice by immigrants was not influenced by either the presence of the most aggressive species or by resident fish density. Movements of fish into the marsh and densities of fish in the pools peaked on the first days of the approximately 7-day flooding cycles, and declined thereafter. Thus, large numbers of fish moved away from these pools after initially settling in them, but the reason for this and the subsequent fate of the fish is unknown.

Systematics and ecology of the Nearctic species of Neophyllomyza (Diptera: Milichiidae)

2009 ◽  
Vol 141 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen Brochu ◽  
Terry A. Wheeler
Keyword(s):  
Larval Development ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
American Beech ◽  
Decay Stage ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Emergence Traps

AbstractThe Nearctic species of Neophyllomyza Melander are revised and descriptions, illustrations, and an identification key are provided for the two included species, N. quadricornis Melander and N. gaultin. sp. Large numbers of adults of both species were collected in emergence traps on decaying logs of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh. (Aceraceae)) and American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh. (Fagaceae)) in eastern Canada, indicating that the larvae of both species are saproxylic, although their exact food source is unknown. Although the two species are sympatric over much of their range and apparently use the same resources for larval development, their habits differ: N. quadricornis was collected from logs in both the early- and the advanced-decay stage from late May until September, with a peak of emergence in late June, whereas N. gaulti was reared almost exclusively from logs in the advanced-decay stage and from mid-July to mid-August. This suggests that N. gaulti is more specialized in its larval habits, which may reduce competition between the two species.

The onset of oestrus in normal and blinded ferrets

1954 ◽  
Vol 142 (906) ◽  
pp. 126-135 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
First Year ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Form Vision ◽  
The Third ◽  
Retinal Stimulation ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
The Hours ◽  
To Come ◽  
First Time

Because normal anoestrous female ferrets usually become precociously oestrous if exposed to extra artificial light during the winter months, it has been widely assumed that the onset of oestrus in this species in the spring is due to the gradual lengthening of the hours of daylight. Comparison of the dates of onset of oestrus in large numbers of normal and blinded mature anoestrous ferrets, kept under ordinary laboratory conditions and also exposed to added light in the winter months, shows that ferrets blind to form vision, and presumably blind also to light vision, tend to come into heat in the spring of the first year after blinding. If a blinded ferret fails to come into heat in the succeeding spring, it may miss a season and come into heat for the first time in the spring of the year after, or even in the spring of the third year after section of the optic nerves. In so far as blinded ferrets tend to come into heat at the same time as normal animals, it would seem that the timing of the breeding season can hardly be due to the effects of increasing hours of daylight operating through the eyes, even although retinal stimulation can, in certain circumstances, precipitate the onset of oestrus.

scholarly journals Establishment of a new, secure colony of Endangered Bermuda Petrel Pterodroma cahow by translocation of near-fledged nestlings

2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
NICHOLAS CARLILE ◽  
DAVID PRIDDEL ◽  
JEREMY MADEIROS
Keyword(s):  
Population Size ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Intensive Management ◽  
Nesting Habitat ◽  
North East ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Nesting Sites ◽  
Optimal Habitat ◽  
A Site

SummaryUntil recently, Bermuda Petrel Pterodroma cahow (IUCN Category: ‘Endangered’) bred only in sub-optimal habitat on four small islets in north-east Bermuda. Although intensive management of the population since 1962 has led to a substantial increase in population size (now approaching 100 pairs), the nesting habitat on these four islets is being increasingly inundated, eroded and destroyed by high seas associated with hurricanes and storms. To ensure the long-term conservation of the species a decision was made to establish a new colony at a more secure site on nearby Nonsuch Island, where they once bred in large numbers. Between 2004 and 2008, 104 near-fledged nestlings were translocated to artificial burrows on Nonsuch Island, where they were hand-fed meals of fish and squid. All but three translocated birds fledged successfully, with the first returning to Nonsuch Island in February 2008. The first Bermuda Petrel egg on Nonsuch Island in more than 300 years was laid in January 2009, and the resultant fledgling departed in June of the same year. By the end of the 2009/10 breeding season, a total of 18 Bermuda Petrels have been recorded on Nonsuch Island, 17 were translocated as near-fledged nestlings, and one bird came from the existing colonies. A total of five eggs have been produced, resulting in two fledglings. The establishment of this new colony, at a site that is much more secure than the existing nesting sites, greatly enhances the conservation prospects of the species and demonstrates the importance of translocation as a tool for the conservation of threatened seabirds.

Geophilomorph centipedes and the littoral habitat

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Barber
Keyword(s):  
Recent Work ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Constant Component ◽  
Isolated Populations ◽  
Littoral Habitat ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
The World ◽  
Anatomical Adaptations ◽  
Marine Littoral ◽  
Littoral Habitats

AbstractMore than 40 species from at least 20 genera in 6 or more families of the Geophilomorpha (Chilopoda) are recorded from marine littoral habitats in various parts of the world. Although there is little recent work on their physiology it seems that they have the capacity to tolerate the osmotic and respiratory regime that is involved and their anatomical adaptations to a burrowing habit and, at least in some cases, their behaviour makes them a fairly constant component of sea-shore ecosystems where they sometimes occur in surprisingly large numbers. It is suggested that the richness of the food source in these habitats, along with other factors such as shelter, microclimate and possibly absence of parasites and/or predators would be the main reason why these now terrestrial animals have re-invaded the seashore so many times since their first appearance in the Palaeozoic. Their tolerance of seawater and occurrence on coasts could lead to passive distribution by rafting and the occurrence of isolated populations could result in genetic differences.

Notes on breeding and conservation of birds on Niuafo'ou Island, Kingdom of Tonga

1999 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Göth ◽  
Uwe Vogel
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Crater Lake ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Black Duck ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Local Tradition ◽  
Pycnonotus Cafer ◽  
Porphyrio Porphyrio ◽  
Audubon's Shearwater

Niuafo'ou lies very isolated in the Pacific, is well forested and not densely populated by humans. These facts as well as the lack of larger rat species make it a refuge for birds rare elsewhere in the region. This paper covers all 17 breeding species and gives breeding data for 14 of them, collected from October 1991 to December 1992. Ten species had a well-defined breeding season of 2?7 months somewhere between September and April, which often differed from other adjacent islands: Audubon's Shearwater Puffinus Iherminieri, Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa, Banded Rail Rallus phillippensis, Spotless Crake Porzana tabuensis, Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio, Barn Owl Tyto alba, Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer, Polynesian Starling Aplonis tabuensis nesiotes, and Jungle Myna Acridotheres fuscus. The Blue-crowned Lorikeet Vini australis nested in October, November and July. It did not only breed in tree hollows, but also inside a rotten log on the ground. Other observations suggest that it visits ground holes as well, either for nesting or resting. A breeding colony of Audubon's Shearwater is the first one confirmed for Tonga. Four species nested in the wet and dry season: White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus, Pacific Reef-heron Egretta sacra, Pacific Pigeon Ducula pacifica and Polynesian Megapode Megapodius pritchardii. Since September to March is the main breeding season for birds on Niuafo'ou, it is proposed that hunting and egg collecting, both important parts of the local tradition, are restricted to the other months of the year. In case of the endangered Polynesian Megapode we suggest a restriction of egg collecting and propose a translocation programme to another island. Additionally, we suggest that the islets in the crater lake become protected as they are free of feral cats, and some birds occur in higher densities there. Niuafo'ou also deserves attention as resting place for six vagrant and migrant species; large numbers of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters Puffinus pacificus are hunted when they visit between October and June.

Season movement and distribution of the sexes in the water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis, in the Northern Territory

1970 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 399 ◽  
Author(s):  
DG Tulloch
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Water Buffalo ◽  
Bubalus Bubalis ◽  
Black Soil ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Coastal Plains ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Northern Portion

Regular aerial and land surveys of the coastal plains and adjoining high ground in the northern portion of the Northern Territory between the Adelaide and Wildman Rivers showed variations in the number of buffalo on the plains. When there were very few buffalo on the plains there were large numbers on the adjoining high timbered country. During the wet season the plains flooded to varying depths and in those areas where the water was very deep all buffalo moved to higher ground. In the Northern Territory the wet season is the main breeding season, and at this time adult bulls were seen with cows in oestrus. During the dry season, which is the non-breeding season, the bulls and cows inhabited separate areas; the cows and their calves preferred those areas of the black soil plains adjoining high ground where there was water, shade, and some green feed. When rain fell at the end of the dry season, the buffalo moved to areas where it had rained.

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