biologia: Seabird breeding behavior

Evidence: 100 • authority: 72

The term seabird is used for many families of birds in several orders that spend the majority of their lives at sea. Seabirds make up some, if not all, of the families in the following orders: Procellariiformes, Sphenisciformes, Pelecaniformes, and Charadriiformes. Many seabirds remain at sea for several consecutive years at a time, without ever seeing land. Breeding is the central purpose for seabirds to visit land. The breeding period (courtship, copulation, and chick-rearing) is usually extremely protracted in many seabirds and may last over a year in some of the larger albatrosses; this is in stark contrast with passerine birds. Seabirds nest in single or mixed-species colonies of varyi…

Evidence: 42 • authority: 92

Making the most of the old age: Autumn breeding as an extra reproductive investment in older seabirds.. The extrinsic and intrinsic factors affecting differing reproductive strategies among populations are central to understanding population and evolutionary ecology. To evaluate whether individual reproductive strategies responded to annual patterns in marine productivity and age-related processes in a seabird we used a long term (2003-2013), a continuous dataset on nest occupancy and attendance at the colony by little penguins ( Eudyptula minor ) at Phillip Island (Victoria, Australia). We found that concurrent with a secondary annual peak of marine productivity, a secondary peak in colony…

Evidence: 42 • authority: 92

Novel Epidemiologic Features of High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza Virus A H5N1 2.3.3.4b Panzootic: A Review.. Avian influenza is one of the most devastating avian diseases. The current high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) A virus H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b epizootic began in the 2020-2021 season, and has caused a panzootic, considered one of the worst ever reported. The present panzootic has novel epidemiological features that represent a challenge for its prevention and control. This review examines key epidemiological changes of the disease such as seasonality, geographic spread, and host range. The seasonality of the virus has changed, and contrary to previous avian influenza epizootics,…

Evidence: 36 • authority: 88

Digit length may reveal unusual breeding behaviour in a seabird. The hormonal environment experienced during prenatal development may affect adult phenotype and behaviour. Digit lengths may provide an estimate of steroid levels encountered during embryonic development in humans and other vertebrates. Finger patterns in humans have been shown to reveal sexual orientation or cooperative behaviour. We explored individual breeding behaviour in a monogamous seabird, the Balearic shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus and unexpectedly detected some cooperative breeders. Furthermore, we show evidence of correlation between digit lengths and cooperative breeding in this species. Additionally, we suggest…

Evidence: 36 • authority: 92

The Windy City Rookery: Movement and Activity Patterns of Black-Crowned Night Herons (<i>Nycticorax nycticorax</i>) in a Human-Dominated Landscape.. As urbanization continues to accelerate, human-dominated habitats are becoming increasingly important for wildlife as some species of conservation concern move into urban landscapes. In response to the widespread loss or conversion of their preferred wetland habitat, black-crowned night herons ( Nycticorax nycticorax ; BCNH) frequently nest in urban areas. Despite being the most widely distributed colonial wading bird in the world, BCNH face population declines and have been listed as a special-status species in 11 U.S. states and O…

Evidence: 36 • authority: 72

Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations. The first seabirds evolved in the Cretaceous period, while modern seabird families emerged in the Paleogene. Seabirds generally live longer, breed later and have fewer young than many other birds, but they invest a great deal of time in their young. Most species nest in colonies, varying in size from a few dozen birds to millions. Many species are famous for undertaking long annual…