Comportement et structure sociale chez le manchot empereur

• Main Author: Jouventin, Pierre
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: French
• Published: HAL CCSD 1971
• Subjects: [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; Empereur; Manchot; Aptenodytes patagonica; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-03531422; https://hal.science/hal-03531422/document; https://hal.science/hal-03531422/file/bitstream_118897.pdf

International audience A study of the ecology, behavioural repertoire and social struc ture of the Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forste ri) was under taken during the 1969 breeding cycle at Pointe Geologie, Adélie Land (Artarctica). During the study period, the sea ice was unusually solid and durable : this influenced both the chronology of the breeding cycle and chick mortality. Some 440 ringed birds were observed, almost daily. There was a majority of female birds possibly due to greater predation on males. The « fidelity rate » (duration of pair bonding) between mates from one year to the next was low, though some 3- and 4- year pair bondings have been observed. Of the 216 breeding birds observed in 1967 and 1969, only 2 % were not present in 1968. Thus the Emperor Penguin appears to breed annually, in contrast to the King Penguin, Aptenodytes patagonica. It is thought that males become sexually mature at about 6 years, females slightly earlier (one female ringed as a chick bred in its fourth year). During the study, 54 pairs were ringed and separated 92.60 % of these pairs were subsequently reformed. A group of breeding penguins, which lost its way to the colony and did not break up until the chicks were hatched, was used as a natural experiment for elucidation of problems of « homing » and direction finding, and for evaluation of minimum colony size in the species. A study was made of the origin and significance of the species’ behaviour patterns, some of which were so ill-defined that they appeared to be displacement activities. The frequency of occur rence of these activities, especially away from the colony, was studied by presenting groups of penguins with quasi-natural problems. The ontogenesis of behaviour was studied and acoustic signals of the species recorded and analysed. Differences in « song » between the sexes was noted, and a brief study of the circadian rhythm was made. Examination was made of specific releasers in the species, which appears to have practically no mechanisms for sexual iso ...