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Moulting strategies of the Yelkouan Shearwater Puffinus yelkouan during the breeding season

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Abstract

Biochemical analyses of feathers are increasingly used to study seabird at-sea distribution, movements, pollutant exposure and trophic level. However, such studies are intrinsically related to the knowledge of the target species moulting strategies. In this study, we analysed the moulting strategies of the Yelkouan Shearwater Puffinus yelkouan at three breeding sites, by scoring the moult of wing, tail and body feathers during the breeding season. While we observed virtually no bird growing its wing feathers, some Yelkouan Shearwaters started moulting their tail and body feathers during late incubation. Moult intensified during chick-rearing. We did not find any significant effect of sex, breeding status or year on moulting patterns. However, moulting strategies varied among individuals, as only a proportion of birds was actively moulting at the various breeding stages and moulting patterns varied among breeding sites. Based on our study, it is evident that factors determining moulting strategies in the Yelkouan Shearwater remain to be elucidated. This study underlines the need to carefully select the most convenient target feathers to ensure the correct development of studies based on the biochemical analysis of feathers as moulting strategies in seabirds can be rather variable.

Zusammenfassung

Mauserstrategien des Mittelmeersturmtauchers Puffinus yelkouan während der Brutsaison

Biochemische Analysen von Federn werden zunehmend herangezogen, um die Verbreitung von Seevögeln auf See, ihre Wanderungen, ihren Kontakt mit Schadstoffen und ihre Trophieebene zu untersuchen. Solche Studien sind jedoch untrennbar mit dem Wissen über die Mauserstrategien der Zielart verbunden. In dieser Untersuchung haben wir die Mauserstrategien des Mittelmeersturmtauchers Puffinus yelkouan in drei Brutgebieten analysiert, indem wir die Mauser von Schwung-, Schwanz- und Körperfedern während der Brutsaison untersucht haben. Während wir so gut wie keinen Vogel mit im Wachstum begriffenen Schwungfedern beobachtet haben, begannen einige Mittelmeersturmtaucher während der späten Bebrütungsphase, ihre Schwanz- und Körperfedern zu mausern. Die Mauser intensivierte sich während der Kükenaufzucht. Wir fanden keine signifikanten Effekte von Geschlecht, Brutstatus oder Jahr auf die Mausermuster. Mauserstrategien unterschieden sich jedoch zwischen Individuen, da nur ein Teil der Vögel in den verschiedenen Stadien des Brutgeschäfts aktiv mauserte und die Mausermuster zwischen den Brutgebieten variierten. Wir müssen noch herausfinden, welche Faktoren Mauserstrategien bei Mittelmeersturmtauchern bestimmen. Schließlich betont diese Studie die Notwendigkeit, die am besten geeigneten Zielfedern sorgfältig auszuwählen, um die korrekte Planung von Studien, die auf biochemischer Analyse von Federn basieren, zu gewährleisten, da Mauserstrategien von Seevögeln recht variabel sein können.

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Acknowledgments

Funds and support were provided by the Port-Cros National Park (11-016-83400PC) on the Hyères islands and by the Conservatoire du Littoral through the PIM Initiative (Petites Îles de Méditerranée) and the Tunisian agency APAL (Agence de Protection et d’Aménagement du Littoral) on Zembretta. We are very grateful to the Director and managers of Port-Cros National Park and to the Director of the APAL and the Tunisian Army for granting permission and providing support to conduct this research. We thank all those from the Port-Cros National Park, IMEP (Institut Méditerranéen d’Ecologie et de Paléoécologie, Université Paul Cézanne) and ASPEN (Association de Sauvegarde du Patrimoine Environnemental et Naturel tunisien) who helped us during fieldwork, especially P. Fournial, J. Cerisier, N. Bigeard, P. Gillet, L. Ruffino, R. Ouni and A. Abiadh. We are grateful to Yves Cherel and an anonymous reviewer for their valuable comments on the manuscript. Licences and permissions were granted by the prefecture of the Var region (authorization no. 7/2004) and CRBPO (National Museum of Natural History, Paris) for shearwater capturing and handling.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. A dos d’Îles–Association for the Study and Conservation of Insular Biodiversity, 101 Val de Sibourg, 13680, Lançon de Provence, France

    Karen Bourgeois & S. Dromzée

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  1. Karen Bourgeois
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  2. S. Dromzée
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Correspondence to Karen Bourgeois.

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Communicated by C. Barbraud.

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Bourgeois, K., Dromzée, S. Moulting strategies of the Yelkouan Shearwater Puffinus yelkouan during the breeding season. J Ornithol 155, 265–271 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-013-1011-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-013-1011-y

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