Evaluating the impact of handling and logger attachment on foraging parameters and physiology in southern rockhopper penguins ...

• Main Authors: Ludynia, Katrin, Dehnhard, Nina, Poisbleau, Maud, Demongin, Laurent, Masello, Juan F., Quillfeldt, Petra, Justus Liebig University Giessen
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Universitätsbibliothek Gießen 2012
• Subjects: ddc570; Rockhopper penguin
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.22029/jlupub-139; https://jlupub.ub.uni-giessen.de//handle/jlupub/193

Logger technology has revolutionised our knowledge of the behaviour and physiology of free-living animals but handling and logger attachments may have negative effects on the behaviour of the animals and their welfare. We studied southern rockhopper penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome) females during the guard stage in three consecutive breeding seasons (2008/09-2010/11) to evaluate the effects of handling and logger attachment on foraging trip duration, dive behaviour and physiological parameters. Smaller dive loggers (TDRs) were used in 2010/11 for comparison to larger GPS data loggers used in all three seasons and we included two categories of control birds: handled controls and PIT control birds that were previously marked with passive integrative transponders (PITs), but which had not been handled during this study. Increased foraging trip duration was only observed in GPS birds during 2010/11, the breeding season in which we also found GPS birds foraging further away from the colony and travelling longer ...