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Evidence for fatal collisions and kleptoparasitism while plunge‐diving in Gannets
Author(s) -
MACHOVSKY CAPUSKA GABRIEL E.,
DWYER SARAH L.,
ALLEY MAURICE R.,
STOCKIN KAREN A.,
RAUBENHEIMER DAVID
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
ibis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.933
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1474-919X
pISSN - 0019-1019
DOI - 10.1111/j.1474-919x.2011.01129.x
Subject(s) - kleptoparasitism , foraging , seabird , fishery , pelagic zone , predation , cape , discards , fish <actinopterygii> , bycatch , biology , ecology , geography , archaeology
Plunge‐diving is a highly successful strategy for dealing with the challenges confronting birds feeding on pelagic prey. We tested for evidence of fatal injuries due to collision between conspecifics in plunge‐diving Australasian Gannets Morus serrator and Cape Gannets Morus capensis , respectively, by performing post‐mortem examinations of carcasses recovered from New Zealand waters and analysing video footage of Cape Gannet foraging events from South Africa. We found evidence of accidental collisions between Gannets and also observed a case of attempted kleptoparasitism, in which a diving Cape Gannet targeted a previously captured fish in the beak of a conspecific.