Sprint-ace and marathon penguin: How Fiordland penguins/ tawaki defy clichés about crested penguin marine ecology - and appear to do great

• Main Authors: 3rd World Seabird Conference 2021, Ellenberg, Ursula
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Underline Science Inc. 2021
• Subjects: Ecology; FOS Biological sciences; Animal Science; Antarctic; Pablo; Seddon; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.48448/bjs7-jg26; https://underline.io/lecture/34701-sprint-ace-and-marathon-penguin-how-fiordland-penguinsdash-tawaki-defy-cliches-about-crested-penguin-marine-ecology---and-appear-to-do-great

Abstract: The enigmatic Fiordland penguin, or tawaki, remain one of the least known penguin species. Recent surveys suggest that tawaki populations are increasing which is in stark contrast to other eudyptid penguins that have undergone steep declines. Despite their limited distribution along a mere 500 kilometer stretch of coastline in New Zealand's rugged and inaccessible southwest, tawaki occupy remarkably diverse marine habitats. In 2014, the Tawaki Project set out to study the penguins' ecology across their breeding range. We examined their foraging behavior during and outside of the breeding season at three sites representative of the species' varied marine habitats. Over the course of six years, we documented the impact of El Niño on foraging range and breeding success and tracked extreme long-distance movements in the pre-moult and wintering periods. These data paint an intriguing picture of a crested penguin species that lives outside the zone occupied by congeners (subtropical instead of sub-Antarctic waters). They show remarkable versatility in their foraging strategies depending on available marine habitat. During the pre-moult, tawaki travel much farther distances than any other penguin species, and during their even longer winter migration they forage as far as the Polar Front. Apparently, tawaki can afford the costs of these marathon journeys, which not only exposes the species' sub-Antarctic origins but also indicates considerable adaptability. In the face of significant environmental change, doing things differently than other crested penguins appears to be tawaki's secret of success. Authors: Ursula Ellenberg¹, Thomas Mattern¹, David Houston², Robin Long³, Klemens Pütz⁴, Pablo Garcia Borboroglu⁵, Philip Seddon⁶ ¹Global Penguin Society/ Eudyptes EcoConsulting, ²Department of Conservation, ³West Coast Penguin Trust, ⁴Antarctic Research Trust, ⁵Global Penguin Society/ Centro Nacional Patagónico (CONICET), ⁶University of Otago