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Small range and distinct distribution in a satellite breeding colony of the critically endangered Waved Albatross
Citation:
Awkerman, J., S. Cruz, C. Proano, K. Huyvaert, G. Jimenez Uzcategui, A. Baquero, M. Wikelski, AND D. Anderson. Small range and distinct distribution in a satellite breeding colony of the critically endangered Waved Albatross. Journal of Ornithology. Springer, New York, NY, 155:367-378, (2014).
Impact/Purpose:
To determine the proximate consequences of the limited breeding distribution of the critically endangered Waved Albatross, we present continuous breeding season GPS tracks highlighting differences in behaviour, destinations, and distances travelled between three distinct colonies.
Description:
To determine the proximate consequences of the limited breeding distribution of the critically endangered Waved Albatross (Phoebastria irrorata), we present continuous breeding season GPS tracks highlighting differences in behaviour, destinations, and distances travelled between three distinct colonies: two in Gala´pagos and one closer to the South American continent on Isla de la Plata, where a small number of pairs nest. Accelerometer data paired with GPS locations allowed operational classifications of Waved Albatross behaviour. All birds from Galapagos travelled eastward to the continental shelf and foraged southward along the Peruvian coast. Birds from Isla de la Plata made more and shorter foraging trips and used habitat north of the destinations of Gala´pagos birds. La Plata birds foraged in areas through which Gala´pagos birds commuted, and had slower average flight speeds and shorter commutes. Overall, albatrosses from La Plata might operate under a consistently lower return but they also incur lower costs compared to birds from Gala´pagos, which take fewer trips involving longer time investment. Galapagos birds may be able to forage more effectively based on more abundant or more profitable food patches in those highly productive areas. Foraging destinations of birds from the two Gala´pagos colonies were similar and overlapped areas that presented localized mortality risk from artisanal fisheries in previous years. This study, performed across the species’ breeding range, reveals the different foraging distribution of La Plata albatrosses and the potential conservation value of this small colony in terms of maintenance of spatial diversity and behavioural plasticity.
