Abstract
Maximum dive depths, timing and duration of foraging trips and diet of the guanay cormorant Phalacrocorax bougainvillii were investigated in January/February 1995 and February 1996 at the headland of Punta San Juan, Peru. Results from 27 birds engaged in chick rearing showed that the mean maximum dive depth was 33.9 ± 2.6 m, with a deepest dive of 74 m. A large flock of non-breeding guanay cormorants (about 140 000 birds) foraged only during daylight, with modal departure and arrival times of 09:00 and 16:00 respectively. Arrival times were more variable than departure times. Cormorants flew almost exclusively parallel to the coast (92% of cases), with feeding frenzies observed mainly within 1–3 km of the coast. Duration of foraging trips averaged 6.2 h (CV = 34%), and increased significantly throughout the season. There were interannual differences in diet composition, but generally Peruvian silverside Odonthestes regia regia, Peruvian anchovy Engraulis ringens and mote sculpin Normanichthys crockeri wer...
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