Herring gulls target profitable Atlantic puffins during kleptoparasitic attack
Kleptoparasitism is a foraging strategy where one individual steals a procured food item from another individual. Individual kleptoparasites can optimize their foraging strategy by targeting more profitable hosts or by modifying their behaviour to expend less energy than they would by foraging indep...
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Online Access: | https://research.library.mun.ca/16076/ https://research.library.mun.ca/16076/1/2020%20Busniuk%20et%20al%20postprint.pdf https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.05.012 |
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ftmemorialuniv:oai:research.library.mun.ca:16076 2023-10-01T03:56:02+02:00 Herring gulls target profitable Atlantic puffins during kleptoparasitic attack Wilson, David R. Busniuk, Kaylee Storey, Anne e. 2020-06-30 application/pdf https://research.library.mun.ca/16076/ https://research.library.mun.ca/16076/1/2020%20Busniuk%20et%20al%20postprint.pdf https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.05.012 en eng Elsevier https://research.library.mun.ca/16076/1/2020%20Busniuk%20et%20al%20postprint.pdf Wilson, David R. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Wilson=3ADavid_R=2E=3A=3A.html> and Busniuk, Kaylee <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Busniuk=3AKaylee=3A=3A.html> and Storey, Anne e. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Storey=3AAnne_e=2E=3A=3A.html> (2020) Herring gulls target profitable Atlantic puffins during kleptoparasitic attack. Animal Behaviour, 166. pp. 273-279. ISSN 0003-3472 cc_by_nc Article PeerReviewed 2020 ftmemorialuniv https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.05.012 2023-09-03T06:50:33Z Kleptoparasitism is a foraging strategy where one individual steals a procured food item from another individual. Individual kleptoparasites can optimize their foraging strategy by targeting more profitable hosts or by modifying their behaviour to expend less energy than they would by foraging independently. Herring gulls, Larus argentatus, kleptoparasitize Atlantic puffins, Fratercula arctica, by intercepting adults as they return to their burrows with fish for their chicks. While this system has been studied extensively, much remains unknown, particularly from the herring gull's perspective. We tested predictors of herring gull host choice and the probability of success during kleptoparasitic attacks by conducting 73 30-minute focal samples of individual herring gulls at a breeding colony in Newfoundland, Canada. We recorded each puffin that approached the focal gull, categorizing them according to prey type carried, whether or not they landed, and whether or not they were attacked. For those puffins that were attacked, we also noted whether the gull succeeded in obtaining prey. Herring gulls did not attack puffins at random, but, rather, preferentially attacked puffins that carried larger prey, had already completed their landing, and landed closer to and/or in front of the gull. Gulls tended to be more successful at stealing a puffin's food when they attacked landed puffins and made physical contact with the puffin, but not when the puffin landed closer to them or when they were oriented towards the puffin. These findings suggest that herring gulls optimize their kleptoparasitic foraging strategy by targeting more profitable hosts. Article in Journal/Newspaper fratercula Fratercula arctica Newfoundland Memorial University of Newfoundland: Research Repository Burrows ENVELOPE(163.650,163.650,-74.300,-74.300) Canada Animal Behaviour 166 273 279 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Memorial University of Newfoundland: Research Repository |
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ftmemorialuniv |
language |
English |
description |
Kleptoparasitism is a foraging strategy where one individual steals a procured food item from another individual. Individual kleptoparasites can optimize their foraging strategy by targeting more profitable hosts or by modifying their behaviour to expend less energy than they would by foraging independently. Herring gulls, Larus argentatus, kleptoparasitize Atlantic puffins, Fratercula arctica, by intercepting adults as they return to their burrows with fish for their chicks. While this system has been studied extensively, much remains unknown, particularly from the herring gull's perspective. We tested predictors of herring gull host choice and the probability of success during kleptoparasitic attacks by conducting 73 30-minute focal samples of individual herring gulls at a breeding colony in Newfoundland, Canada. We recorded each puffin that approached the focal gull, categorizing them according to prey type carried, whether or not they landed, and whether or not they were attacked. For those puffins that were attacked, we also noted whether the gull succeeded in obtaining prey. Herring gulls did not attack puffins at random, but, rather, preferentially attacked puffins that carried larger prey, had already completed their landing, and landed closer to and/or in front of the gull. Gulls tended to be more successful at stealing a puffin's food when they attacked landed puffins and made physical contact with the puffin, but not when the puffin landed closer to them or when they were oriented towards the puffin. These findings suggest that herring gulls optimize their kleptoparasitic foraging strategy by targeting more profitable hosts. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Wilson, David R. Busniuk, Kaylee Storey, Anne e. |
spellingShingle |
Wilson, David R. Busniuk, Kaylee Storey, Anne e. Herring gulls target profitable Atlantic puffins during kleptoparasitic attack |
author_facet |
Wilson, David R. Busniuk, Kaylee Storey, Anne e. |
author_sort |
Wilson, David R. |
title |
Herring gulls target profitable Atlantic puffins during kleptoparasitic attack |
title_short |
Herring gulls target profitable Atlantic puffins during kleptoparasitic attack |
title_full |
Herring gulls target profitable Atlantic puffins during kleptoparasitic attack |
title_fullStr |
Herring gulls target profitable Atlantic puffins during kleptoparasitic attack |
title_full_unstemmed |
Herring gulls target profitable Atlantic puffins during kleptoparasitic attack |
title_sort |
herring gulls target profitable atlantic puffins during kleptoparasitic attack |
publisher |
Elsevier |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://research.library.mun.ca/16076/ https://research.library.mun.ca/16076/1/2020%20Busniuk%20et%20al%20postprint.pdf https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.05.012 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(163.650,163.650,-74.300,-74.300) |
geographic |
Burrows Canada |
geographic_facet |
Burrows Canada |
genre |
fratercula Fratercula arctica Newfoundland |
genre_facet |
fratercula Fratercula arctica Newfoundland |
op_relation |
https://research.library.mun.ca/16076/1/2020%20Busniuk%20et%20al%20postprint.pdf Wilson, David R. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Wilson=3ADavid_R=2E=3A=3A.html> and Busniuk, Kaylee <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Busniuk=3AKaylee=3A=3A.html> and Storey, Anne e. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Storey=3AAnne_e=2E=3A=3A.html> (2020) Herring gulls target profitable Atlantic puffins during kleptoparasitic attack. Animal Behaviour, 166. pp. 273-279. ISSN 0003-3472 |
op_rights |
cc_by_nc |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.05.012 |
container_title |
Animal Behaviour |
container_volume |
166 |
container_start_page |
273 |
op_container_end_page |
279 |
_version_ |
1778525112226545664 |