Egg laying, chick growth and food of kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla at Hopen, Svalbard

In 1984, kittiwakes at Hopen laid eggs ca. 14 days later than previously found in North Norway and on the Kola Peninsula. The mean clutch size, egg volume, and hatching success were otherwise very similar to those documented on the mainland. Although feeding trips were very long, a rapid chick growt...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Research
Main Author: Barrett, Robert T.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Norwegian Polar Institute 1996
Subjects:
Svalbard
Kola Peninsula
Norway
Hopen
Boreogadus saida
kola peninsula
North Norway
polar cod
Polar Research
rissa tridactyla
Online Access:https://polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/1923
https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v15i2.6640
Description
Summary:In 1984, kittiwakes at Hopen laid eggs ca. 14 days later than previously found in North Norway and on the Kola Peninsula. The mean clutch size, egg volume, and hatching success were otherwise very similar to those documented on the mainland. Although feeding trips were very long, a rapid chick growth and high rate of chick survival suggested that food availability was not a limiting factor in 1984. In contrast to other sites at Svalbard where polar cod Boreogadus saida and crustaceans dominate kittiwake diets, the diets of chicks at Hopen consisted mainly of capelin Mallotus villosus which the adults probably collected at or beyond the polar front southeast of the island.

Similar Items