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Oceanographic characteristics of areas used by Cory’s shearwaters during short and long foraging trips in the North Atlantic

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Abstract

Many breeding seabird species are central-place foragers and constrained to find productive prey patches within their foraging ranges. We assessed how different populations of a pelagic seabird species, the Cory’s shearwater Calonectris diomedea, breeding in oceanic and neritic conditions, cope with these constraints in the North Atlantic, during both incubation and chick-rearing periods. We analysed 237 foraging trips to study the movements and oceanographic characteristics of foraging habitats of seven different populations of Cory’s shearwaters. Generally, oceanic populations exhibited higher foraging effort, by travelling more time and to more distant areas, and larger home ranges and feeding areas, than the neritic population (i.e. breeding on an island within the Portuguese continental platform). On their short trips (i.e. ≤4 days), birds from the different populations fed mostly in shallower waters around the colony. During long trips (i.e. ≥5 days), feeding areas of both oceanic and neritic populations were characterized by high concentration values of chlorophyll-a, low sea-surface temperature and shallower habitats, with oceanic populations of the Azores exploiting areas north of the islands over known seamounts and frontal regions. Birds from other oceanic population (Selvagens) also exploited the African continental shelf system on their long trips. The home ranges of the different populations overlapped widely, but there was a general spatial segregation in terms of the core feeding areas at the population level. Core feeding areas and areas of foraging overlap between different populations should be important to inform conservation management measures, such as the definition of Marine Important Bird Areas for seabirds over the North Atlantic.

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Acknowledgments

V.H.P. acknowledges the support given by ‘Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia’ (Portugal, SFRH/BD/21557/2005). This work was logistically supported by the LIFE Project Marine Important Bird Areas founded by the E.U. and conducted by the ‘Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves’ (BirdLife International partner in Portugal). We are grateful for the logistical support provided at the different working sites. For Berlengas, we thank the national conservation and biodiversity institution (ICNB), especially the wardens from the Berlengas Natural Reserve. For the work developed on the different Azorean islands and islets, we thank the regional secretary for the environment and sea (SRAM) and our colleagues Joel Bried and Maria Magalhães from the Department of Oceanography and Fisheries. For the work developed on Desertas and Selvagens archipelagos (Madeira), we thank the Madeira Natural Park, both head office and wardens. This paper benefited from the comments of two anonymous referees and José Xavier.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Marine Research (IMAR/CMA), Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Apartado 3046, 3001-401, Coimbra, Portugal

    Vitor H. Paiva & Jaime A. Ramos

  2. SPEA-Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds, Avenida da Liberdade Nº105 2º Esq., 1250-140, Lisbon, Portugal

    Pedro Geraldes, Iván Ramírez & Ana Meirinho

  3. Research and Technology Centre (FTZ), University of Kiel, Hafentörn 1, 25761, Büsum, Germany

    Vitor H. Paiva & Stefan Garthe

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  1. Vitor H. Paiva
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Correspondence to Vitor H. Paiva.

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Communicated by M. E. Hauber.

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Paiva, V.H., Geraldes, P., Ramírez, I. et al. Oceanographic characteristics of areas used by Cory’s shearwaters during short and long foraging trips in the North Atlantic. Mar Biol 157, 1385–1399 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-010-1417-5

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