Offspring provisioning constrains the foraging behavior of breeding seabirds temporally and spatially. In species whoseforaging grounds overlap with commercial fisheries, quantifying the provisioning behavior of breeding adults throughout the season can illuminate the nature of interactions with the fisheries and, where seabird bycatch exists, contribute to development of mitigation measures. In 2004 - 2005, we studied the provisioning behavior of Flesh-footed Shearwaters (Puffinus carneipes) on Lord Howe Island, Australia, using the repeated-weighing technique. Specifically, we determined (1) meal size, feeding frequency, and chick growth rates; (2) attendance behavior of adults; and (3) estimated food consumption at the individual and colony levels. Incubation shift duration averaged 9.5+-1.6 (SD) days. Foraging-trip duration was bimodal, with both short trips (<-3 days) and long trips (>3 days) recorded. Average meal mass was greater during the late chick-rearing period and was not influenced by the time interval between meals. Developing chicks had a food conversion efficiency of 27%, with a total individual food requirement of 2,337 g to fledge successfully. An increase in the interval between provisioning events from the early to the late chick-rearing period was associated with significantly more long foraging trips by parent birds; however, there was no variation in the proportion of study birds that returned each night
History
Publication title
The Auk
Volume
127
Pagination
140-150
ISSN
0004-8038
Department/School
School of Natural Sciences
Publisher
Amer Ornithologists Union
Place of publication
Ornithological Soc North Amer Po Box 1897, Lawrenc