Digital Commons Network^™

Time-Lapse Imagery Of Peruvian Boobies Sula Variegata Reveals Nest Abandonment Caused By Tick Hyperinfestation, Cristina Burga-Domínguez, Diego D. Gonzales-Delcarpio, Carlos B. Zavalaga

Marine Ornithology

Severe tick infestation in seabird colonies causes discomfort in reproductive adults, offspring mortality, and nest abandonment. This study used time-lapse cameras to examine the relationship between Ornithodoros amblus tick infestation and Peruvian Booby Sula variegata nest abandonment in four locations along the Peruvian coast between August 2016 and November 2018. The percent occurrence of discomfort in nesting birds (preening and standing on the nest) recorded by the cameras was used as an indicator of tick infestation. The tick density inside and outside the abandoned colonies was also evaluated. In five of the six colonies, complete nest abandonment occurred over an …

Seasonal Changes In Diving And Flying Activities Of Rhinoceros Auklets Cerorhinca Monocerata Throughout The Non-Breeding Period, Ui Shimabukuro, Akinori Takahashi

Marine Ornithology

To understand how migratory seabirds meet the energetic challenges associated with wing molt and wintering, a full annual cycle behavioral study is needed. We studied the diving and flying activities of three Rhinoceros Auklets Cerorhinca monocerata migrating in the northwestern Pacific. The auklets decreased daily flight time and dive depth for seven weeks from the end of summer, presumably associated with primary feather molt. In winter, they increased dive depth (~81 m) and daily dive time. We suggest that Rhinoceros Auklets adjust their diving and flying behaviors in response to wing molt and energy demands in winter

Avifauna Associated With An Otter-Trawl Fishery In A Tropical Estuary, Natalie Villar Freret-Meurer, José Vanderli Andreata, Maria Alice S. Alves

Marine Ornithology

Otter trawls are commonly used in fisheries for benthic fishes, and they provide a source of food to many marine birds. This study aimed to quantify the response of birds, by species, attracted to forage at fishing vessels in Ribeira Bay, Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Sampling was conducted every two months in 2006 at five stations, for a total of 30 trawls; fish were collected for 20 minutes per trawl. Bird counts were recorded just before the trawling started, when it began, 10 minutes after trawling began, and 10 minutes after it stopped. After trawling, 10 fresh …

Trends In Density, Abundance, And Response To Storm Damage For Westland Petrels Procellaria Westlandica, 2007-2019, Susan M. Waugh, Christophe Barbraud, Karine Delord, Kate L.J. Simister, G. Barry Baker, Georgie K. Hedley, Kerry-Jayne Wilson, Douglas R.D. Rands

Marine Ornithology

The density and distribution of Westland Petrel burrows was assessed over a 12-year period (2007–2019). During that time, burrow density increased while occupancy remained stable, commensurate with an annual population growth rate of 1.022 (95% confidence interval: 0.971–1.076), as estimated using mark recapture data. From our surveys, we estimated a 2019 baseline population of ~6200 breeding pairs and a world population of 13 800–17600 individuals, covering around 95% of the population. Transects were conducted to establish the location and density of 17 petrel sub-colonies in rugged, untracked terrain in Paparoa National Park, West Coast, New Zealand. Major storms in 2014–2018 …

Nightly Colony Attendance Patterns Of Provisioning Cassin's Auklet Ptychoramphus Aleuticus Are Consistent And Synchronous, Laura Mcfarlane Tranquilla, John L. Ryder, Louise K. Blight, Patrick D. O’Hara, Douglas F. Bertram

Marine Ornithology

We conducted a multi-year (1999–2001) radio telemetry study to determine patterns of colony attendance among breeding Cassin’s Auklets Ptychoramphus aleuticus during the chick-rearing period on Triangle Island in British Columbia, Canada. A total of 1 625 detections were obtained for 80 individual birds (24–28 birds per year), each detected 20.3 times on average. We found that colony attendance (arrival times, departure times, in-burrow shift duration) and foraging trip duration (i.e., time away from the colony) were remarkably synchronous among individuals and years. On average, birds arrived in a pulse after darkness, with 67% of returns between 23h15 and 00h15 and …

Responses Of Sympatric Shearwaters To Supplemental Food Under Varying Natural Prey Availability On The Wintering Grounds Of Coastal Newfoundland, Canada, Paloma C. Carvalho, Laurie D. Maynard, Gail K. Davoren

Marine Ornithology

Species tend to concentrate in areas with high prey availability, which could lead to competitive interactions within a feeding assemblage as resources become depleted. In coastal Newfoundland, Canada, capelin Mallotus villosus is the focal forage fish species that many top predators feed on during the summer; however, inshore availability varies throughout the boreal summer when abundant aggregations migrate inshore to spawn. We investigated the interactions and responses of Great Shearwaters Ardenna gravis and Sooty Shearwaters A. grisea during their non-breeding season to supplemental food supply under changing natural prey availability (higher and lower capelin availability) by conducting an at-sea experiment …

Wedge-Tailed Shearwater Ardenna Pacifica Fallout Patterns Inform Targeted Management, Brooke Friswold, Keith Swindle, David Hyrenbach, Melissa R. Price

Marine Ornithology

Seabird fledglings are often attracted to artificial, bright lights, leading to their grounding. This phenomenon is termed “fallout” and is associated with an increased risk of mortality from land-based threats. This study evaluated temporal trends and spatial factors, such as fallout clustering near lights and proximity to colonies, to inform targeted management actions. Standardized surveys were conducted from 2002 to 2010 for Wedge-tailed Shearwater Ardenna pacifica (WTSH) fallout on the island of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, USA. First, yearly fallout counts along the transect showed a two-year cycle and identified 25 November as the date with the highest fallout across years. Second, …

Foraging Ranges Of Humboldt Penguins Spheniscus Humboldti From Tilgo Island: The Critical Need For Protecting A Unique Marine Habitat, René Quispe, Miriam Lerma, Nicolás Luna, Matías Portflitt-Toro, Juan Serratosa, Guillermo Luna-Jorquera

Marine Ornithology

The largest population of Humboldt Penguins resides in a fertile archipelago of the north-central coast of Chile, formed by eight islands in proximity to upwelling centers of the Humboldt Current System. However, five of these islands lack legal protection. Here, we report the results of breeding Humboldt Penguins tracked while foraging from Tilgo Island. The average and maximum foraging radii around the colony were 22 km and 43 km, respectively. Our data indicate that trip ranges overlap areas proposed for industrial projects. Because Humboldt Penguins are sentinels of local ecosystem health, this underscores the value of expanding conservation zones in …

Manx Shearwaters Puffinus Puffinus Breeding In The Western Atlantic Follow A Different Migration Route From Their Eastern Atlantic Conspecifics, Annette L. Fayet, Paula Shannon, Donald E. Lyons, Stephen W. Kress

Marine Ornithology

Manx Shearwaters are transequatorial migrants, and most of the world’s population breeds in Britain and winters off the Patagonian Shelf in the western South Atlantic. The migration route of British birds follows a well-known clockwise movement between the North and South Atlantic, taking advantage of the winds. Whether this main Manx Shearwater migration corridor is used by the smaller populations breeding in the western North Atlantic is unknown. Here, we report our findings from tracking two adults from a newly-established colony of Manx Shearwaters in Maine, USA using miniature geolocators. The tracked shearwaters followed a post-breeding migration route southward along …

Records Of White Tern Gygis Alba In Panama And Potential Connections To El Niño Events, Daniel Buitrago-Rosas, Jorge L. Medina, Pedro L. Castillo-Caballero

Marine Ornithology

In Panama, the White Tern Gygis alba is a vagrant seabird that has been reported very rarely. Its first record was in 1983, during a very strong El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event that generated a massive invasion of unusual seabirds from South America into the Panama Bay. Unlike other vagrant seabirds, the White Tern remained unrecorded again until 2016. This note reports the second, and first confirmed, occurrence of White Tern to Panama, along with separate confirmed sightings in 2019. We briefly review these records and their potential connections to ENSO events.

Camera Trapping Reveals Cooperative Breeding In The Red-Footed Booby Sula Sula, Matthieu Le Corre, Morgane Manoury, Sabine Orlowski, Florent Bignon, Gabrielle Dicque

Marine Ornithology

Cooperative breeding occurs in only 9% of bird species and is particularly rare among seabirds. We provide evidence that cooperative breeding occurs in a tropical seabird, the Red-footed Booby. Through camera monitoring of active nests, we found one nest in which a chick was raised by a trio of birds: its two parents and an immature bird. The immature bird fed the chick, guarded it, and preened it. The parents did not behave aggressively towards the immature bird when it approached the chick, suggesting that this trio was stable and composed of birds that knew each other. The growth of …

Polymelia And Polydactyly In A Silver Gull Chroicocephalus Novaehollandiae, Eric J. Woehler

Marine Ornithology

Here, we report the first observation of polymelia and polydactyly in an Australian wild bird, an adult Silver Gull Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae.

Identification Of Foraging Areas And Movements Of Royal Tern Thalasseus Maximus At The Isles Dernieres Barrier Islands Refuge, Louisiana, Virginie Rolland, Megan Nepshinsky, Eva D. Windhoffer, Jeff S. Liechty, Ashlee K. Minor, Aaron R. Pierce

Marine Ornithology

The Isles Dernieres Barrier Island Refuge (IDBIR) in Louisiana constitutes a major colonial seabird breeding site but is also considered a high-risk marine area that is susceptible to both natural and anthropogenic disturbances that can be detrimental to breeding areas and food resources. The objective of this study was to track the movements of breeding Royal Terns Thalasseus maximus at the IDBIR to identify important foraging movement parameters and foraging areas. GPS loggers were attached to six Royal Terns during the 2014–2017 breeding seasons. Mean foraging trip distance was 28.8 km and the maximum distance traveled was 47.8 km. The …

First Evidence Of Plastic Ingestion By Red-Billed Tropicbirds Phaethon Aethereus From St. Eustatius, Caribbean Netherlands, Hannah Madden, Eline Eggermont

Marine Ornithology

We present the first confirmed evidence of plastic ingestion by a Red-billed Tropicbird on the Caribbean Netherlands island of St. Eustatius, which supports a regionally important nesting population. With our observations, all species of tropicbird have now been documented ingesting marine plastic pollution.

Behavioral Responses To A Novel Feeding Problem In The Olrog's Gull Larus Atlanticus, Melina V. Castano, Laura M. Biondi, Francisco Zumpano, Marco Favero, Germán O. García

Marine Ornithology

Behavioral innovation is considered an expression of behavioral flexibility and is a source of phenotypic plasticity in animals. In this study, we explored the main components of behavioral innovation (neophobia and exploratory behavior) with respect to social context and age in the Olrog’s Gull Larus atlanticus. Twenty consecutive experimental sessions were performed, involving presentation of a plexiglass box containing food; the box could be opened and reached by pushing or pulling different lids, each leading to a food reward. Gulls were able to decrease their neophobic response throughout the course of the experiments. Fifty-three percent of individuals who entered the …

Masthead, Pacific Seabird Group

Marine Ornithology

No abstract provided.

Inside Front Cover, Pacific Seabird Group

Marine Ornithology

No abstract provided.

Front Cover, Pacific Seabird Group

Marine Ornithology

No abstract provided.

Mode Engineering And Functional Enhancement In Piezoelectric-On-Silicon Mems Resonators With Magnetic Field Sensing Applications, Ugur Guneroglu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation significantly advances the field of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) resonators by exploring novel post-fabrication tuning techniques, electrode configuration effects, and innovative sensor applications for thin-film piezoelectric-on-silicon (TPoS) resonator devices. Driven by the increasing demand for tunable, high-precision and robust MEMS resonators in radio frequency (RF) applications such as sensing, timing, and filtering, this research aim to provide foundational knowledge and practical solutions for overcoming existing technological limitations. The dissertation is organized into three main research thrusts, each addressing critical challenges and opportunities in the design, fabrication, and application of TPoS MEMS resonators.

The first research thrust investigates an innovative …