Black Noddy Anous Minutus Research Articles

Offshore surprises: new at-sea bird records for Suriname (2013\u20132015)

Bird observations were collected from various types of survey vessels in Suriname’s territorial waters between 2013 and 2015. Dedicated, effort-related surveys were carried out from geophysical seismic survey vessels within an area located 80–110 km offshore (in 2013) and 165–290 km (in 2015). Opportunistic observations were recorded during fisheries surveys on a shrimp trawler operating along the 30 m depth contour, approximately 40–60 km offshore (in 2014). In total, 10 bird (sub-)species were observed during these surveys that previously were not recorded for Suriname, including Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus, Ruff Calidris pugnax, South Polar Skua Stercorarius maccormicki, Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus, Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis (ssp. acuflavidus), Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii, Bridled Tern Onychoprion anaethetus, Black Noddy Anous minutus, Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea and Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia. In addition, Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus and Bulwer’s Petrel Bulweria bulwerii were photographed for the first time in Suriname. A Sooty Shearwater Ardenna grisea was recorded just outside the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and therefore does not count as a new country record. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the avifauna frequenting the waters off Suriname, which historically has been poorly studied. Most of the species reported here are migratory. The timing of our sightings therefore also helps in a better understanding of their at-sea distribution and migration patterns.

Population estimates of the breeding birds of the Tinhosas islands (Gulf of Guinea), the only major seabird colony of the eastern tropical Atlantic

The Tinhosas islands, in São Tomé e Príncipe, host the most important seabird breeding colony in the Gulf of Guinea, but information on its conservation status was hitherto unpublished or anecdotal, the last assessment having been performed in 1997. A two-day expedition to the Tinhosas islands was undertaken to estimate the status of breeding seabirds in 2013. Four of the five seabird species known to breed in São Tomé e Príncipe, namely Brown Booby Sula leucogaster, Sooty Tern Onychoprion fuscatus, Brown Noddy Anous stolidus and Black Noddy Anous minutus, occur on the Tinhosas. A decrease of 80% in Brown Booby numbers, possibly due to occasional exploitation, and a 30% increase in Sooty Tern and Black Noddy numbers, were found compared to 1997 data although survey methods differed. Breeding of Brown Noddy and Madeiran Storm-petrel Hydrobates castro remains unconfirmed. Our estimates confirmed that BirdLife International Important Bird and Biodiversity Area criteria are met for at least one species, the Sooty Tern. The islands are not legally protected, nonetheless, apart from moderate levels of disturbance by fishermen who land on Tinhosa Grande, no alien species were seen, and no immediate threats to the Tinhosas colony were detected. Multiple visits within and between years are recommended, to census breeders, monitor threats and establish breeding phenologies.

Breeding seabird populations in Brazilian oceanic islands: historical review, update and a call for census standardization

In recent decades, several seabird populations have declined globally due to anthropogenic activities. In Brazil, 14 seabird species breed at four oceanic islands and one atoll: the Abrolhos, Fernando de Noronha, and Sao Pedro and Sao Paulo (SPSPA) archipelagos; the Trindade/Martin Vaz Islands; and the Atol das Rocas. Seven species are listed as nationally threatened by extinction. This study aimed to present new information on breeding seabird populations in Brazilian oceanic islands, compile all available data previously published and, when possible, to provide updated information on population estimates from censuses carried out sporadically at different islands between 2006 and 2013. Based on new data and the thorough review provided here, of the 35 seabird breeding populations analysed, 14% were increasing (as Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus , Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens and Brown Noddy Anous stolidus in Abrolhos), 11% were decreasing (as Brown Booby Sula leucogaster in Atol das Rocas and Great Frigatebird Fregata minor in Trindade Island), 23% were stable (as White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus in Fernando de Noronha and Brown Noddy and Black Noddy Anous minutus in Sao Pedro and Sao Paulo Archipelago), and the remaining 49% were unknown or not possible to evaluate. The Red-footed Booby ( Sula sula ) is locally extinct in Trindade Island, however there are colonies of only a few individuals of other species, such as the Audubon's Shearwater Puffinus lherminieri and Red- billed Tropicbird in Noronha, Black Noddy in Martin Vaz, and Great ( Fregata ariel trinitatis ) and Lesser ( F. m. nicoll i) Frigatebirds in Trindade, that may become extinct soon. Censuses at distinct periods of the breeding cycles and protocols were highly variable, making temporal comparisons difficult. These results indicate an urgent need for long-term studies to improve the scenario to assess seabird population trends based on comparable methodologies, in order to determine trends in the future.

Molecular phylogeny and systematics of Blue and Grey Noddies (Procelsterna)

We used a mitochondrial and nuclear DNA phylogeny to evaluate the relationships among all noddies (Anous and Procelsterna, Laridae) and to clarify their classification. The Lesser Noddy Anous tenuirostris and Black Noddy Anous minutus form a pair of closely related sister‐species, as do the Blue Noddy Procelsterna albivitta and Grey Noddy Procelsterna cerulea. Blue and Grey Noddies are embedded within the dark noddies and are the sister‐clade to the Lesser and Black Noddies, indicating that the genus Anous in its current definition is not monophyletic. Thus, we propose to merge all noddies into the genus Anous Stephens , and to consider Procelsterna Lafresnaye as a junior synonym.

Facultative prioritization of wing growth in the Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena

Bird species adapted to variable environments tend to have slow lean tissue growth rates and high fat deposition rates, allowing survival during food shortages. This emphasis on fat deposition may be a fixed physiological trait. Alternatively, tissue allocation may be adjusted facultatively according to the proximate food supply. We consider two models of facultative adjustment that could account for the emphasis on fat deposition: (1) the fat‐priority model, in which no lean growth occurs when food is scarce, and (2) the lean‐priority model, in which a minimal level of lean growth always occurs but nutrients are otherwise allocated to fat deposition. We tested these two models using Welcome Swallows Hirundo neoxena, a species we show to have a variable food supply that is influenced by weather. We reduced food supply to chicks experimentally, by enlarging broods or excluding parents from chicks, and tested for reduction in wing growth (an indicator of lean growth) and mass growth (an indicator of fat deposition). Mass growth was retarded by both manipulations, but not wing growth, corroborating the lean‐priority model. This growth strategy may function not to cope with violent variation in food supply, but to maintain development and symmetry of wings and feathers in the face of moderate variation in food supply. Our results contrast with those of a similar experiment on the Black Noddy Anous minutus, a species with more severe variation in food supply.

Population increase and nesting patterns of the black noddy Anous minutus in Pisonia forest on Heron Island: Observations in 1978, 1979 and 1992

Abstract Estimates of the population size of black noddy Anous minutus on Heron Island were made by counting nests in permanently marked plots in Pisonia grandis forest in 1978, 1979 and 1992. The results, and published data, indicate that the population has been increasing at ca 7% per annum since early this century and currently is ca 63 000 ± 7000 pairs. The continued exponential increase in bird numbers poses interesting ecological questions and potential management problems, as more of the island is occupied by the birds and interaction with the vegetation intensifies. Pisonia is by far the most common tree on the island and most nests are in this species. However, there is evidence that Ficus opposita is preferred over Pisonia and the high mortality of this species in the marked plots may be due to excessive use by noddies. Pisonia trees which reach the forest canopy and are in the 40–60 cm stem diameter class have more nests than smaller trees. Larger stems (>60 cm diameter) are also underutilized relative to their size, and it is suggested that this is because they are more liable to windthrow in cyclones.

Brood Enlargement and Post-natal Development in the Black NoddyAnous minutus

SummaryCongdon, B.C. (1990). Brood enlargement and post-natal development in the Black Noddy Anous minutus. Emu 90, 241–247.The ability of the Black Noddy to raise an artificially enlarged brood and the effect of brood enlargement on prefledging growth and mortality were examined on Heron Island during the 1983–84 breeding season. Where chicks from enlarged broods were the same age brood enlargement did not affect nestling growth or mortality. This suggests adults were able to compensate for the increased energy requirements of a second brood member. Reproductive output from enlarged broods was not limited by the total quantity of food available, or by the ability of adults to find and transport this food. Where chicks were different ages intra-brood competition reduced the amount of food obtained by younger chicks, causing a retardation of flight feather development. A slowing in wing development was not accompanied by a reduction in the rate of weight increase. Feather development slows before starvation is apparent; this suggests wing growth may be modified so fiat nutrients essential for body maintenance and the growth of soft tissue are available during periods of low food availability. In the Black Noddy maximum body weight is attained significantly earlier than full wing length. Differences in the rate of weight and wing length increase, the ability of adults to raise an enlarged brood and the further slowing of only feather development during food stress, suggest that ‘normal’ wing development in this species may be adjusted to some minimum level of a fluctuating food resource, rather than to consistently low levels of food availability. Such a mode of development can be interpreted as an adaptive response to large variations in the quantity of food obtained at any one feeding and/or the extended period of time between consecutive feeding bouts.

Census and Distribution of Black Noddy Anous minutus Nests on Heron Island, November 1985

SummaryBarnes. A. & Hill, G.J.E. (1989). Census and distribution of Black Noddy Anous minutus Nests on Heron Island, November 1985. Emu 89, 129–134.A census of Black Noddy nesting density on Heron Island in late November 1985 returned an estimate of 40 718 ± 3214 (X ± s.e.) active nests, an increase of 10.5% over the most recent previous survey conducted in 1983 and 39% higher than a survey in 1982. An assessment of habitat usage indicated that Black Noddies nest in all species of tree found on the island, even in Casuarina in which few or no nests have previously been reported. With the possible exception of Ficus and Celtis there was no clear indication that any species were preferred for nesting when tree and shrub size were considered. However, 75% of nests were found in Pisonia, predominantly in large ones. The numbers of birds nesting in the eastern and western halves of the island were almost identical despite the extensive development, tree loss and human presence in the west. In the developed half of the island there were greater numbers of nests per tree in the important nesting species, which almost completely compensated for the lower density of trees.

Vegetation and nesting preferences of black noddies at Masthead Island, Great Barrier Reef. II Patterns at the micro‐scale

AbstractDistribution and abundance of black noddy Anous minutus nests in relation to vegetation were studied at Masthead Island, Great Barrier Reef. Methods used included mapping, correlation and regression analyses.Number of nests varied significantly with height and species of tree. Taller trees contained more nests per tree than did smatter trees. Most nests occurred in Pisonia but the highest nesting densities occurred in Ficus and Celtis. There were significant positive correlations between treephxsiognomy (d.b.h. etc.) and number of nests in Pisonia, Ficus and Celtis but noddies may avoid nesting in senile trees.Noddies preferred to nest in some species of tree rather than others, e.g. Ficus and Celtis were apparently preferred to Pisonia. The sparse fotiage of Ficus and Celtis may facilitate access of noddies to their nests and therefore be preferred to the more densely foliaged Pisonia.