A NEW LONGEVITY RECORD FOR THE ANCIENT MURRELET SYNTHLIBORAMPHUS ANTIQUUS

• Main Authors: Akiko Shoji, Anthony J. Gaston
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2007
• Subjects: Burrows; Gaston; Pacific; Subarctic
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.490.9480; http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/36_2/36_2_197-198.pdf

The Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus is a small member of the Alcidae widely distributed in the North Pacific temperate and subarctic zones during the breeding season. The species is completely nocturnal when coming and going from the colony and mainly nests in burrows or in cavities under tree roots (Sealy 1976, Gaston 1992). Chicks are precocial and the young are reared entirely at sea (Gaston 1992). Seabirds generally exhibit low reproductive rates and high adult survival (Gaston 2004). However, although the survival and longevity of Ancient Murrelets are not well documented, these