SURVIVAL, PAIR BOND RETENTION AND NEST‐SITE TENACITY IN BULLER'S MOLLYMAWK*

Summary. Adult Buller's Mollymawks Diomedea bulleri banded in 1948 and 1961 at the Snares Islands south of New Zealand have been recovered between 1961 and 1971. Survival curves are presented which indicate the existence of a constant annual mortality rate of not more than 11.1 % with a mean ex...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ibis
Main Authors: Richdale, L. E., Warham, John
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 1973
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919x.1973.tb02641.x
https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1474-919X.1973.tb02641.x
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1474-919X.1973.tb02641.x
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Summary:Summary. Adult Buller's Mollymawks Diomedea bulleri banded in 1948 and 1961 at the Snares Islands south of New Zealand have been recovered between 1961 and 1971. Survival curves are presented which indicate the existence of a constant annual mortality rate of not more than 11.1 % with a mean expectation of further life at the time of banding of not less than 8.5 years. Breeding birds show a strong tendency to retain both the pair bond and the nest‐site. One pair was still breeding in 1971 at the same nest at which it bred 23 years earlier. No re‐matings were recorded while the original partner was known to be still alive. The dimensions of eggs laid over the years by particular females are presented. These enable some general indications to be given of the effects of the age of the female on the dimensions of the eggs which she lays.