Temporal and spatial differences in the post-breeding behaviour of a ubiquitous Southern Hemisphere seabird, the common diving petrel ...

• Main Authors: Fromant, Aymeric, Bost, Charles-Andre, Bustamante, Paco, Carravieri, Alice, Cherel, Yves, Eizenberg, Yonina, Miskelly, Colin, Arnould, John, Delord, Karine
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2020
• Subjects: inter-breeding; moult; procellariiform; Southern Ocean; Indian; Kerguelen; New Zealand; Pacific
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.fbg79cnrz; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.fbg79cnrz

The non-breeding period plays a major role in seabird survival and population dynamics. However, our understanding of the migratory behaviour, moulting and feeding strategies of non-breeding seabirds is still very limited, especially for small-sized species. The present study investigated the post-breeding behaviour of three distant populations (Kerguelen Archipelago, south-eastern Australia, New Zealand) of the common diving petrel (Pelecanoides urinatrix), an abundant, widely distributed zooplanktivorous seabird breeding throughout the southern Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. The timing, geographical destination and activity pattern of birds were quantified through geolocator deployments during the post-breeding migration, while moult pattern of body feathers was investigated using stable isotope analysis. Despite the high energetic cost of flapping flight, all the individuals quickly travelled long distances (> ~2500 km) after the end of the breeding season, targeting oceanic frontal systems. The ... : Methods Study site, study species and animal instrumentation The study was conducted at three field sites representing separate populations: Ile Mayes (Kerguelen Archipelago, southern Indian Ocean, 49°28’S 69°57’E, hereafter referred as Kerguelen); Kanowna Island (south-eastern Australia, 39°10’S 148°16’E); and Mana Island (New Zealand, 41°06’S 174°46’E). In order to avoid potential bias due to inter-annual variations, individuals from all three colonies were sampled during the same non-breeding period (November 2017 to September 2018). Additional data was collected for Kerguelen (in 2015-16 and 2016-17) and Kanowna Island (in 2016-17 and 2018-19). Kerguelen is located in subantarctic waters sensu lato (between the Polar Front and the Subtropical Front), while both Kanowna and Mana Islands are located farther north, in the temperate subtropical region. In the present article, migration is defined as the period during which there is an annual to-and-from movement of populations between the breeding site and a ...