Yachang Cheng , Lei Zhu , Lin Xue , Shisheng Ma , Nan Jia , Shaoping Zang , Zhihai Cao , Jing Yuan , Yang Liu
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Understanding the foraging behavior is essential for investigating seabird ecology and conservation, as well as monitoring the well-being of the marine environment. Breeding seabirds adopt diverse foraging strategies to maximize energy gains and cope with the intensified challenges of parenting and self-maintenance. Such trade-off may stem from the heterogeneity of food resources and the constraints of central place foraging. Nevertheless, abundant marine productivity could alleviate the energy limitation for seabirds, resulting in a consistent foraging approach. Here, we investigated the foraging strategy during the breeding season of a cryptic small-sized seabird, Swinhoe's Storm-petrel (Hydrobates monorhis), in the Yellow Sea, a productive marginal sea of the Northwest Pacific. Using GPS tracking, we evaluated habitat preference, quantified the foraging strategy, and tested if environmental conditions and individual traits influence foraging trips. We found that Swinhoe's Storm-petrels preferred nearshore areas with shallow water and engaged in primarily short foraging trips. Distinctive southeastward and southwestward strategies emerged when combining trip metrics, including foraging direction, duration, and maximum distance. The bathymetry, proximity to the coastline, and sea surface temperature differed in two foraging strategies. Foraging strategies exhibited flexibility between individuals, potentially explained by wing morphology, in which longer-winged birds are more likely to embark on longer-distance foraging trips. These findings highlight the impact of environmental factors and individual traits on seabirds' foraging decisions in productive marginal sea ecosystems. Our study also provides valuable insights into the foraging ecology of this Asian endemic storm-petrel.
期刊介绍:
Avian Research is an open access, peer-reviewed journal publishing high quality research and review articles on all aspects of ornithology from all over the world. It aims to report the latest and most significant progress in ornithology and to encourage exchange of ideas among international ornithologists. As an open access journal, Avian Research provides a unique opportunity to publish high quality contents that will be internationally accessible to any reader at no cost.