Giant petrels as predators of albatross chicks |
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Authors: | Ben J Dilley Delia Davies Maëlle Connan John Cooper Marienne de Villiers Lieze Swart Sylvie Vandenabeele Yan Ropert-Coudert Peter G Ryan |
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Institution: | 1. Percy FitzPatrick Institute of Africa Ornithology, DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa 2. Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, PO Box 94, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa 3. Department of Botany and Zoology, DST/NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, P. Bag X1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa 4. Animal Demography Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa 5. Department of Environment Affairs, P. Bag X2, Roggebaai, 8012, South Africa 6. Swansea Moving Animal Research Team, Biological Sciences Department, Swansea University, Wales, SA2 8PP, UK 7. Université de Strasbourg, IPHC, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087, Strasbourg, France 8. CNRS, UMR7178, 67037, Strasbourg, France
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Abstract: | Giant petrels Macronectes spp. are not thought to be important predators of albatross chicks, although they are known to kill pre-fledging Thalassarche and Phoebetria albatrosses. We report the first records of predation of healthy great albatross Diomedea spp. chicks, killing wandering albatrosses D. exulans at night on sub-Antarctic Marion Island. Breeding success of this species has decreased markedly in the area where attacks occurred, suggesting that giant petrel predation events are a recent phenomenon. Mouse attacks on wandering albatross chicks may have contributed to the development of this hunting technique. We also report the first observations of giant petrel predation on pre-fledging grey-headed albatross T. chrysostoma chicks as well as additional records of sooty albatross P. fusca chicks being targeted. Only adult northern giant petrels M. halli have been confirmed to kill albatross chicks on Marion Island. Given the threatened status of wandering albatrosses, and the importance of Marion Island for this species, monitoring of their breeding success is necessary to assess whether the predation of chicks by giant petrels spreads around the island. |
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