Comparative foraging behaviour of sympatric Humboldt and Magellanic Penguins reveals species-specific and sex-specific strategies

• Published in: Emu - Austral Ornithology
• Main Authors: Raya Rey, Andrea Nélida, Pütz, Klemens, Simeone, Alejandro, Hiriart Bertrand, Luciano, Reyes Arriagada, Ronnie, Riquelme, Victoria, Lüthi, Benno
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Csiro Publishing
• Subjects: Chile; Diving; Segregation; Spatial Ecology; Spheniscidae; https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6; https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1; Antarctic; Austral; Argentina; Magallanes; Bertrand; Bello; Nélida; Riquelme; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11336/26735

How closely related marine organisms mitigate competition for resources while foraging at sea is not well understood, particularly the relative importance of interspecific and intraspecific mitigation strategies. Using location and time–depth data, we investigated species-specific and sex-specific foraging areas and diving behaviour of the closely related Humboldt (Spheniscus humboldti) and Magellanic (S. magellanicus) Penguins breeding in sympatry at Islotes Puñihuil in southern Chile during the chick-rearing period. The average duration of foraging trips was <20 h and did not differ significantly between species or between sexes of each species. Magellanic Penguins made significantly deeper and longer dives than Humboldt Penguins. Males of both species made significantly longer dives than females. Total distance travelled per foraging trip was significantly greater for males than for females, and females made more direct trips (less sinuous) than males. Foraging effort was concentrated in waters up to 15 km to the west and south-west of the colony. The overlap in density contours was lower between species than between sexes within a species. In general, dive characteristics and foraging areas differed more between Magellanic and Humboldt Penguins than between the sexes of each species. In contrast to the findings of studies of flying seabirds, the foraging behaviour of these penguins differs more between species than between sexes. Fil: Raya Rey, Andrea Nélida. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentina Fil: Pütz, Klemens. Antarctic Research Trust; Alemania Fil: Simeone, Alejandro. Universidad Andrés Bello; Argentina Fil: Hiriart Bertrand, Luciano. Universidad Andrés Bello; Chile. University of California at San Diego; Estados Unidos Fil: Reyes Arriagada, Ronnie. Universidad Austral de Chile; Chile. Universidad de Magallanes; Chile Fil: Riquelme, Victoria. Universidad de Magallanes; Chile. Universidad Austral de Chile; ...