Feeding ecology and body size dependence on diet of the sooty shearwater

• Main Authors: Kouzi Shiomi, Haruo Ogi
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1992
• Subjects: Mayy; Pacific; Subarctic
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.594.5956; http://polaris.nipr.ac.jp/~penguin/polarbiosci/issues/pdf/1992-Shiomi.pdf

Abstract: The diet of the Sooty Shearwater (Pufinus griseus) was examined by using a total of 11 39 stomachs of the bird sampled during April-October, 1982, 1985-1989. Of all stomachs, 586 were empty. Predominant prey species was the Japanese sardine (Sardinops melanosticta), the wet weight percentage of which was 57.9 % in the Confluence Zone, April-Mayy and 55.8 % in the Subarctic Current, June-September. Other identified prey species were the Pacific saury (Cololabis saira), squid (Berryteuthis anonychus), pelagic barnacle (Lepas fascicularis), and jellyfish (Vellela lata). In the Subtropical Zone, June-July and the Transition Domain, June-October, the relative importance of squid and pelagic barnacle as prey items for the bird increased in both frequency of occurrence and weight. The importance of fish in the diet increased with body weight increment of the bird? while that of squid and barnacle decreased. This trend was remarkably observed in the Subtropical Zone and the Transition Domain. It is, therefore, suggested that the diet of the bird changes with their growth. 1.