The winter diet of thick-billed murres, Uria lomvia, in western Greenland, 1988–1989

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 264-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Knud Falk ◽  
Jan Durinck
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Uria Lomvia ◽  
Winter Diet ◽  
Southern Area ◽  
Good Body Condition ◽  
Capelin Mallotus Villosus ◽  
Wet Weight ◽  
Prey Remains

The diet of thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia) wintering in coastal western Greenland was studied by analyzing the stomach contents of 202 birds supplied by local hunters in four regions, from October 1988 to March 1989. Fish and crustaceans were present in 68 and 71% (frequency of occurrence), respectively, of all stomachs containing prey remains (n = 195). Fish made up 81% wet weight, and crustaceans most of the remaining 19%, except for < 1% squid (Gonatus sp.) and polychaetes (Nereis sp.). Capelin (Mallotus villosus) was the dominant prey species (61% wet weight), followed by Thysanoessa spp. (17%), Parathemisto spp. (1%), and Meganyctiphanes norvegica (1%). Euphausiids were the most abundant crustaceans (95% wet weight of all crustaceans), except in October, when hyperid amphipods were dominant (89%). Crustaceans were important in the murres' diet only in the northern part of the survey area; birds in the southern part preyed almost exclusively upon capelin. Most birds were in good body condition (based on the amount of body fat), but murres from the southern area had a slightly higher mean fat index than those from the northern area (7.19 vs. 5.35). We suggest that differences in body condition may be related to the higher proportion of fish, which is of higher caloric value, in the diet of murres in the southern area.

On the Diet of the Boa Epicrates striatus on Hispaniola, with Notes on E. fordi and E. gracilis

1987 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
José A. Ottenwalder ◽  
Robert W. Henderson ◽  
Albert Schwartz ◽  
Teresa A. Noeske-Hallin
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Mus Musculus ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Rattus Rattus ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Early 20Th Century ◽  
Ontogenetic Shift ◽  
Small Rodents ◽  
Prey Remains

AbstractThe stomach contents of 214 specimens of Hispaniolan Epicrates (Serpentes: Boidae) were examined for prey remains. The largest species, E. striatus, exhibits a sharp ontogenetic shift in diet: snakes < 60 cm SVL ate predominantly Anolis lizards; snakes 60-80 cm SVL took anoles and small rodents; and snakes > 80 cm SVL ate birds and rats (Rattus rattus). Epicrates fordi preyed on anoles and small rodents, and E. gracilis took only Anolis. E. striatus ate larger individuals of the same species of Anolis consumed by Hispaniolan colubrids. Before the arrival of Europeans on Hispaniola, large Epicrates striatus most likely preyed upon birds and now-extict rodents (Brotomys, Isolobodon and Plagiodontia) and insectivores (Nesophontes). The diet of E. striatus would have gradually shifted from native to introduced mammals, and by the early 20th century, when most native, non-volant mammals had become extinct on Hispaniola, the shift would have become nearly complete, with the exotics Mus musculus and Rattus rattus becoming the predominant prey species.

scholarly journals Life history and ecology of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) from West Greenland

2003 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 177 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Lockyer ◽  
M P Heide-Jørgensen ◽  
J Jensen ◽  
M J Walton
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Stomach Content Analysis ◽  
Phocoena Phocoena ◽  
West Greenland ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Capelin Mallotus Villosus ◽  
Wet Weight ◽  
Eastern North Atlantic ◽  
Gompertz Growth Model

During 1988, 1989 and 1995, 187 harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) were sampled from the catches off West Greenland. The samples were taken in 3 areas between 62° N and 70° N: northerly (n=134, Maniitsoq and locations Kangaamiut, Qeqertarsuaq and Qasigiannguit further north), southerly (n=30, Nuuk) and southernmost (n=23, Paamiut). A suite of biological measurements and data were collected from these samples. Comparison of age and length distributions between years and areas indicated that while there were no statistical differences between the Maniitsoq and northerly samples in different years, the southerly Nuuk and Paamiut samples were biased to younger age classes. Application of the Gompertz growth model to length and weight at age data indicated an asymptotic length of 154 cm in females and 143 cm in males with weights of 64 kg and 52 kg respectively. A number of correlations were observed between length, midgirth(G3), body and blubber weights and blubber thickness. Indicators of body condition showed that overall pregnant females were fattest but that blubber thickness was greatest in juveniles. The blubber lipid content was generally 92-95% wet weight of tissue. Stomach content analysis for 92 animals indicated regional differences, although capelin (Mallotus villosus) was predominant in all samples. The presence of fish, squid and crustaceans indicated opportunistic feeding. Females ovulated from age 3-4 years at a length of about 140 cm; combined testis weights >200 g indicated maturation in males from age 2 years upwards at a length >125 cm. Several small embryos were found, consistent with a mating season in late summer. Testis hypertrophy in August also supported a late summer breeding. Analysis of ovarian corpora indicated annual ovulation. Certain biological parameters, including body condition indicators, indicate differences between WestGreenland and eastern North Atlantic populations that agree with published genetic findings.

scholarly journals Ringed Seal Diet and Body Condition in the Amundsen Gulf region, Eastern Beaufort Sea

ARCTIC ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-138
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Insley ◽  
Lila M. Tauzer ◽  
William D. Halliday ◽  
Joe Illasiak ◽  
Ryan Green ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Gulf Region ◽  
Invertebrate Species ◽  
Ringed Seals ◽  
Capelin Mallotus Villosus ◽  
Regional Specificity ◽  
Amundsen Gulf ◽  
Autumn And Winter

Diet from stomach contents and body condition from morphometric measurements were obtained for 169 (108 stomachs analysed) ringed seals (Pusa hispida) for the Amundsen Gulf region in the western Canadian Arctic from 2015 to 2018. Sampling was from subsistence-harvested seals from the three communities of Paulatuk (spring, summer, and autumn), Sachs Harbour (summer), and Ulukhaktok (winter), Northwest Territories. Stomach contents were separated through sieves and by hand, and taxa identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible and weighed. Stomachs were fullest (by weight and prey count) in the autumn, which suggests that foraging was most intense and successful at that time. A total of 93 prey taxa, including 17 fish and 76 invertebrate species were identified. Several fish and invertebrate species were regularly found together, the most common being Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida), sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus), capelin (Mallotus villosus), and hyperiid amphipods (Themisto spp.). Condition measurements inferred from blubber thickness, although showing considerable variation among sites and years, had a seasonal relationship with maximal depth during the autumn and winter. Overall, the diet of ringed seals in Amundsen Gulf was broadly similar to those reported from other areas while also indicating some degree of regional specificity. When compared to the diet of ringed seals in the same area in the 1980s, the results presented here were more diverse, with new or increased numbers of subarctic species (e.g., saffron cod, Eleginus gracilis) found in the samples. This finding is a likely consequence of climate warming, as increasing numbers of subarctic species move north with warming ocean temperatures in the Arctic. 

scholarly journals A note on stomach contents of minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in Icelandic waters

2000 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jóhann Sigurjónsson ◽  
Anton Galan ◽  
Gísli A Víkingsson
Keyword(s):  
Food Habits ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Balaenoptera Acutorostrata ◽  
Minke Whales ◽  
Capelin Mallotus Villosus ◽  
Available Information ◽  
Icelandic Waters

There is limited available information on food habits of minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in coastal Iceland. Sixty-eight minke whales were examined for stomach contents; 51.5% contained fish only, 22.1 % krill (Euphausiacea) only, 25.0% fish and krill together, and one animal (l.5%) had no food remains in the stomach. The fish species identified were capelin (Mallotus villosus), sandeel (Ammodytidae), cod (Gadus morhua) and herring (Clupea harengus). Two species of krill were identified; Thysanoessa raschii and Meganyctiphanes norvegica. Sandeel was the dominant prey species in the western and southwestern areas, while capelin and krill were more frequently found in animals sampled in North Iceland.

Recent changes in the winter diet of murres (Uria spp.) in coastal Newfoundland waters

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 495-500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherrylynn Rowe ◽  
Ian L Jones ◽  
John W Chardine ◽  
Richard D Elliot ◽  
Brian G Veitch
Keyword(s):  
Marine Organisms ◽  
Frequency Of Occurrence ◽  
Boreogadus Saida ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Uria Lomvia ◽  
Northwest Atlantic ◽  
Winter Diet ◽  
Ecological Changes ◽  
Common Murres ◽  
Capelin Mallotus Villosus

We investigated the winter diet of murres (Uria spp.) in coastal Newfoundland waters in relation to environmental and ecological changes that have occurred in the Northwest Atlantic since the 1980s. We analyzed the contents of 371 stomachs (311 from Thick-billed Murres, Uria lomvia, and 60 from Common Murres, Uria aalge) of birds shot by hunters around the Newfoundland coast during the winters of 1996-1998. We observed that the frequency of empty stomachs was greater in our study than in a similar study conducted during 1984-1986. We found no difference in the proportion of fish in the diet between the 1980s and the 1990s, however, Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida; from 55 to 12%) and capelin (Mallotus villosus; from 28 to 6%) decreased in frequency of occurrence. The proportion of stomachs containing crustaceans and squid did not change between the 1980s and 1990s, but hyperiid amphipods (Parathemisto spp.) replaced euphausiids (Thysanoessa spp.) as the predominant crustacean. Changes in murre winter diet off the coast of Newfoundland corroborate other sources of information indicating that major changes in the distribution and biology of marine organisms occurred in the Northwest Atlantic during the 1990s.

Stomach contents of autumn-feeding marine vertebrates from Hornsund, Svalbard

Polar Record ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 25 (153) ◽  
pp. 107-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Lydersen ◽  
Ian Gjertz ◽  
Jan Marcin Weslawski
Keyword(s):  
Prey Species ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Somateria Mollissima ◽  
Uria Lomvia ◽  
Rissa Tridactyla ◽  
Fulmarus Glacialis ◽  
Important Prey ◽  
Fratercula Arctica ◽  
Cepphus Grylle ◽  
Myoxocephalus Scorpius

AbstractStomachs of 171 vertebrates (two species offish, eight of birds and twoof seals) from Hornsund, Svalbard, were collected between 7 September and 5 October 1984. Arctic cod Boreogadus saida and the amphipod Pamthemisto libellula were the main prey species of black guillemots Cepphus grylle, little auks Alle alle, puffins Fratercula arctica, Brunnich's guillemots Uria lomvia, kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla and ringed seals Phoca hispida. Fulmars Fulmarus glacialis preyed mainly on the squid Gonatusfabricii and the polychaete Nereis irrorata. Eiders Somateria mollissima preyed mainly on bivalves and on the amphipod Gammarellus homari. G. homari and Gammarus oceanicus were the most important prey species of striped snailfish Liparis liparis, while shorthorn sculpin Myoxocephalus scorpius mainly preyed upon G. homari and Anonyx sarsi. Glaucous gulls LOTUS hyperboreus took many different prey including birds and tundra plants. Only one bearded seal Erignathus barbatus stomach with content was available for this study.

The diet of Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia) in west Hudson Strait and northeast Hudson Bay

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 1148-1160 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Gaston ◽  
D. G. Noble
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Significant Variation ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Hudson Bay ◽  
Uria Lomvia ◽  
Energy Equivalent ◽  
Low Arctic ◽  
Wet Weight ◽  
Prey Remains ◽  
Breeding Seasons

We collected feeding adult Thick-billed Murres at several different localities within the foraging range of the colonies at Digges Sound through the breeding seasons in 1980, 1981, and 1982. Examination of prey remains from the stomach and foregut showed that the majority of birds contained prey covering a range of sizes from 0.01 to 47 g wet weight at ingestion. The total energy equivalent of prey found in the majority of stomachs was less than 10% of the birds' probable daily requirements. Comparison of species diversity of prey with that recorded for Thick-billed Murres in the high Arctic suggested that a greater range of prey is available in the low Arctic waters of Hudson Strait. We found little indication of consistent variation in pery occurrence among different feeding areas or within seasons. However, significant variation in diet occurred among years. Problems inherent in the method and the extent of variation among individual birds from the same sample make it difficult to make valid generalizations about the importance of different prey taxa in the diet of the murres.

scholarly journals Changing winter diet of thick-billed murres Uria lomvia in Southwest Greenland, 1990s versus 2010s

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flemming Ravn Merkel ◽  
Jannie Fries Linnebjerg ◽  
Ole Norden Andersen ◽  
Nicholas Per Huffeldt ◽  
Teunis Jansen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fish Species ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
Uria Lomvia ◽  
Winter Diet ◽  
Winter Conditions ◽  
Dominant Fish ◽  
Capelin Mallotus Villosus ◽  
Wintering Area ◽  
Meganyctiphanes Norvegica ◽  
Southwest Greenland

Southwest Greenland constitutes an internationally important wintering area for seabirds, including thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia Linnaeus, 1758), but their prey may be affected by the general warming of this sub-Arctic region. We compare murre diet collected in winter in the 1990s and 2010s around Nuuk. Fish made up 36% of the diet (wet mass) and crustaceans 63% in the 1990s, changing to 22% and 78% in the 2010s, respectively. Capelin (Mallotus villosus Müller, 1776) was the dominant fish species, and the smaller contribution in the 2010s coincided with declining densities of capelin around Nuuk. The crustaceans were dominated by two krill species, Meganyctiphanes norvegica M. Sars, 1857, and Thysanoessa inermis Krøyer, 1846. However, M. norvegica was only important in the 2010s (51% wet mass), while T. inermis was dominating the 1990s with 62% wet mass and only 23% in 2010s. The dominance of M. norvegica in the 2010s confirmed our expectations of a gradual “borealization” of this region due to the generally warming sub-Arctic. The smaller contribution of fish in the diet may also support the hypothesis of deteriorating winter conditions for murres. Apart from the diet, plastic was found in 15% of the birds and 53% had parasitic nematods.

scholarly journals Diet of the Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) in rice fields on its wintering grounds in Argentina

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-16
Author(s):  
Rodrigo E. Lorenzón ◽  
Carolina E. Antoniazzi ◽  
Franco N. Fabre ◽  
Virginia M. Quiroga ◽  
Silvia A. Regner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Rice Fields ◽  
Cultivated Plants ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Santa Fe ◽  
Wintering Grounds ◽  
Dolichonyx Oryzivorus ◽  
Winter Diet ◽  
Number Of Seeds ◽  
Plant Components

AbstractWinter diet of Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), a bird considered a pest of rice fields, is known to consist primarily of seeds. However, it is not yet possible to establish the extent to which non-rice plants and animal components contribute to its diet. To contribute to these issues, we studied the diet of the Bobolink found in rice fields on its wintering grounds in Santa Fe, Argentina, to provide information on (i) the composition of the diet and (ii) the relative importance of plant and animal components in the diet and of the different prey categories. We captured Bobolinks with mist nets and obtained samples of stomach contents by warm water and emetic-based regurgitation to determine the composition of the diet (n = 46 samples) and the importance of the different prey (n = 25 samples), mainly during March, just prior to northbound migration. We confirmed that the Bobolink’s diet in this region during this period is predominantly herbivorous (97%) and rice-based (55%), although it also consumes a large number of seeds of non-cultivated plants that represented 42% of the diet. Invertebrates, although of less importance than plant components (3%), had been consumed by 97% of captured individuais. Our results document the importance of non-cultivated plants and animal prey in the diet of Bobolinks in addition to rice.

scholarly journals Prevalence of Ovine Haemonchosis in Wukro, Ethiopia

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lidya Gebresilassie ◽  
Berihun Afera Tadele
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Haemonchus Contortus ◽  
Significant Variation ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Highly Pathogenic ◽  
Good Body Condition ◽  
Associated Risk Factors ◽  
Female Sheep ◽  
Important Disease

Background.Haemonchosiscaused byHaemonchus contortusis a predominant, highly pathogenic, and economically important disease of sheep and goats.Objective. Assessing the prevalence ofHaemonchusparasite and its associated risk factors in sheep slaughtered at different restaurants of Wukro.Methods. Cross-sectional study using random sampling from November 2013 to April 2014 in a total of 384 sheep was conducted and SPSS version 20 software using descriptive statistics was used for data analysis andP<0.05was considered significant.Result. The overall prevalence ofHaemonchus contortuswas 40.9% (n=157). The prevalence in medium body condition 27.3% (n=105) varies significantly from that of good body condition 13.5% (n=52) (P<0.05). Moreover, there was significant variation (P<0.05) in the prevalence in young and adult sheep with rates of 21.9% (n=84) and 19% (n=73), respectively. At the same time, there is significant variation (P<0.05) in male and female sheep with prevalence of 29.7% (n=114) and 11.2% (n=43), respectively. The prevalence of 25.3% (n=97) in sheep that originated from Negash compared to Wukro and Agulae showed no significant variation (P>0.05).Conclusion. The current finding revealed that significant numbers of sheep were affected by the parasites. Hence strategic deworming with good husbandry practice should be implemented.

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