Red-legged Kittiwakes Research Articles

Dietary restriction causes chronic elevation of corticosterone and enhances stress response in red-legged kittiwake chicks.

Release of corticosterone in hungry kittiwake chicks facilitates begging and allows them to restore depleted energy reserves by increasing parental food provisioning. However, in order to avoid detrimental effects of chronic elevation of corticosterone, chicks might suppress adrenocortical activity in response to prolonged food shortages. In this study we examined temporal dynamics of corticosterone release in red-legged kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris) chicks exposed to prolonged restrictions in energy content and/or nutritional quality (low versus high lipid content) of their food. Starting at the age of 15 days, chicks were fed either high- or low-lipid fish at 40%, 65%, and 100% of ad libitum energy intake. Body mass measurements and baseline plasma samples were taken on a weekly basis after beginning of the treatment. After 3 weeks of treatment, chicks were exposed to a standardized acute handling and restraint stress protocol, where in addition to a baseline sample, three plasma samples were taken at intervals up to 50 min. We found that food-restricted chicks had lower body mass, chronically (during 2-3 weeks) elevated baseline and higher acute stress-induced levels of corticosterone compared to chicks fed ad libitum. Low lipid content of food further exacerbated these effects. An increase in baseline levels of corticosterone was observed within a week after energy requirements of food-restricted chicks exceeded their daily energy intake. A tendency for suppression of adrenocortical activity was observed in treatments fed low-lipid diets only at the end of the experiment. We suggest that nest-bound chicks, if food-stressed, might suffer deleterious effects of chronic elevation of corticosterone.

Diet and Postnatal Growth in Red-Legged and Black-Legged Kittiwakes: An Interspecies Cross-Fostering Experiment

AbstractRed-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa brevirostris) and Black-legged Kittiwakes (R. tridactyla) are morphologically similar, breed in mixed colonies, and nest at the same time, but they exhibit substantial differences in diet, rate of nestling provisioning, and foraging distribution. We cross-fostered nestlings of the two species to test the competing hypotheses that growth in mass of kittiwakes is constrained by diet (i.e. composition, provisioning rate, and quality) or by inherent species-specific physiology. Survival and body mass of cross-fostered nestlings at 30 to 32 days posthatching did not differ from those of conspecific controls. Black-legged Kittiwake fledglings had higher lean mass than Red-legged Kittiwake fledglings regardless of whether they were raised by foster or natural parents. However, nestlings of both species raised by Red-legged Kittiwakes were 50% fatter at 30 to 32 days posthatching than those raised by Black-legged Kittiwakes. Regurgitations from nestlings raised by Red-legged Kittiwakes consisted primarily of lanternfish and contained about twice the lipid (percent dry mass) as regurgitations from nestlings raised by Black-legged Kittiwakes. Consequently, growth rate of lean tissue was genetically and/or physiologically constrained, whereas rate of fat deposition was constrained by diet. We hypothesize that the adaptive significance of lanternfish in diets for Red-legged Kittiwake nestlings is manifest in higher prefledging and/or postfledging survival. Interspecific differences in energy density of food and food provisioning rates balanced each other so that rates of energy provisioning were similar.

Diet and Postnatal Growth in Red-Legged and Black-Legged Kittiwakes: An Interspecies Cross-Fostering Experiment

Diet and Postnatal Growth in Red-Legged and Black-Legged Kittiwakes: An Interspecies Cross-Fostering Experiment

DIET AND POSTNATAL GROWTH IN RED-LEGGED AND BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES: AN INTERSPECIES CROSS-FOSTERING EXPERIMENT

Abstract Red-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa brevirostris) and Black-legged Kittiwakes (R. tridactyla) are morphologically similar, breed in mixed colonies, and nest at the same time, but they exhibit substantial differences in diet, rate of nestling provisioning, and foraging distribution. We cross-fostered nestlings of the two species to test the competing hypotheses that growth in mass of kittiwakes is constrained by diet (i.e. composition, provisioning rate, and quality) or by inherent species-specific physiology. Survival and body mass of cross-fostered nestlings at 30 to 32 days posthatching did not differ from those of conspecific controls. Black-legged Kittiwake fledglings had higher lean mass than Red-legged Kittiwake fledglings regardless of whether they were raised by foster or natural parents. However, nestlings of both species raised by Red-legged Kittiwakes were 50% fatter at 30 to 32 days posthatching than those raised by Black-legged Kittiwakes. Regurgitations from nestlings raised by Red-legged ...

COMPETITIVE DISPLACEMENT? AN EXPERIMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF NEST SITE PREFERENCES OF CLIFF-NESTING GULLS

Red-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa brevirostris) are colonially breeding seabirds that are endemic to the Bering Sea, where they are sympatric with the more widely distributed Black-legged Kittiwake (R. tridactyla). Moreover, these two species breed interspersed on cliffs and potentially compete for nest sites on St. George Island, Alaska, which is the largest of only four known breeding locations of the Red-legged Kittiwake. On St. George Island, nesting ledges used by Red-legged Kittiwakes are narrower than those of Black-legged Kittiwakes, are more often located beneath overhangs, and are concentrated on high-elevation cliffs. To determine whether the nesting distribution of Red-legged Kittiwakes on St. George Island is shaped by competitive displacement by larger bodied Black-legged Kittiwakes, I compared realized niches of the two species (determined by measuring physical characteristics of natural nest sites) with fundamental niches of the two species (determined by observing nest site preferences of kittiwakes on artificial nesting ledges that differed in width, overhang cover, and elevation). The displacement hypothesis predicted that interspecific overlap in physical characteristics of nest sites would be greater for artificial than for natural nesting ledges (fundamental niches would overlap to a greater degree than realized niches). In contrast, nest site preferences of kittiwakes on artificial ledges differed markedly between species and mirrored the characteristics of natural nest sites: Red-legged Kittiwakes preferred narrower ledges, Black-legged Kittiwakes preferred wider ledges, and both species preferred ledges located within high-density clusters of conspecifics. Thus, I rejected the competitive displacement hypothesis and concluded that interspecific competition does not currently shape the breeding distributions of kittiwakes on St. George Island. Although interspecific competition in the past may have shaped current nest site preferences of kittiwakes, the concordance of habitat preferences with interspecific differences in body size, clutch size, and nest size and structure indicate that Red-legged Kittiwakes are uniquely adapted to exploit small ledges.

Trends in populations of Red-legged Kittiwake Rissa brevirostris, a Bering Sea endemic

SummaryThe Red-legged Kittiwake Rissa brevirostris is a small gull which is restricted to four breeding locations, all in the Bering Sea (Pribilof Islands, Bogoslof Island, Buldir Island, and the Commander Islands). In the mid-1970s, when the earliest counts were made at most sites, approximately 260,000 birds were present at breeding colonies. Subsequent counts indicated that populations at Bogoslof and Buldir had increased by the early 1990s. Data for the Commander Islands were inadequate to make strong conclusions about trends but there were no indications of substantial change between the 1970s and 1990s. In contrast, Red-legged Kittiwakes have declined in the Pribilof Islands by approximately 50% since the mid-1970s, a matter of concern because this island group once contained more than 80% of the world's population. Research is needed to determine causes for declines in Red-legged Kittiwakes and population monitoring should continue to provide a basis for conservation measures.

Microhabitat selection and adaptation of feather mites (Acari: Analgoidea) on murres and kittiwakes

The adaptations and spatial distributions of three species of analgoid feather mites on Alaskan seabirds were studied: Alloptes conurus (Trouessart) on common and thick-billed murres and A. obtusolobus Dubinin and Laronyssus martini (Trouessart) on black-legged and red-legged kittiwakes. The mites exhibited a number of morphological features that presumably reduced their resistance to airflow. They were attached to the distal side of the barb in the trailing vane on the ventral surface of the flight feathers. This highly localized distribution pattern was consistent with general predictions based upon aerodynamic considerations. Alternatively, preening by the host bird may have limited the mites to that particular microhabitat.

Microhabitat preference and coexistence of ectoparasitic arthropods on Alaskan seabirds

The population structure and distribution patterns of ectoparasitic arthropods on four species of Alaskan seabirds (common murre (Uria aalge), thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia), black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), and red-legged kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris)) were studied and interspecific interactions were examined. In most ectoparasite populations on murres and kittiwakes, females predominated. This pattern may be attributable to differences in activity, behavior, and mortality between the sexes of the ectoparasites. Except for feather mites, adults of most ectoparasites were less abundant than immatures. The extremely high relative abundance of immature ticks was probably due to the high fecundity of these organisms and predation pressure. Distribution patterns of adults differed significantly from those of immatures in most louse and tick populations. Populations of lice (Quadraceps obliquus (Mjöberg), Quadraceps ornatus (Grube)) and ticks (Ixodes uriae White) on murres and kittiwakes were highly clumped. The degree of clumping was lower among ectoparasites on murres than among those on kittiwakes. Murres aggregate more and thus provide more opportunities for their ectoparasites to disperse to new host individuals. Ticks were the dominant group of ectoparasites in most body regions. On the wings, however, mites were much more abundant. The wings provided the largest surface area and supported the highest ectoparasite species diversity and population density. The louse and tick populations exhibited distinct patterns of spatial distribution on the host, largely as a result of their distinct preferences for certain microhabitats. However, close competition appears to occur between Q. obliquus and I. uriae on murres, and between the two feather mites, Alloptes (Alloptes) sp. and Laronyssus martini (Trouessart), on kittiwakes.

Community structure of arthropod ectoparasites on Alaskan seabirds

A total of 28 species of arthropods was recovered from 29 common murres (Uria aalge), 8 thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia), 22 black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla), and 10 red-legged kittiwakes (Rissa brevirostris) collected from the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, U.S.A. The ectoparasite community on each bird species almost invariably consisted of three species of chewing lice, two species of ticks, and five to nine species of mites. Astigmatid feather mites (Alloptes spp., Laronyssus martini (Trouessart)) were the most numerous group of ectoparasites except on black-legged kittiwakes on which Ixodes ticks were the most abundant. The second most abundant taxa were ticks on common murres and thick-billed murres, and quill mites (Syringophilidae) on red-legged kittiwakes. Kittiwakes usually supported more diverse communities of ectoparasites than did murres, probably because of differences in nesting and foraging behavior. Ectoparasite communities between the congeneric species of birds were particularly similar in terms of species composition and general structure, and supported our hypothesis that phylogenetic relatedness of hosts is reflected in similarity of their ectoparasite communities. Community structure of ectoparasites was much more similar between the two murre species than between the two kittiwake species, probably because of gregarious flocking and mixed-species nesting of murres.

The Possible Significance of Large Eyes in the Red-Legged Kittiwake

Journal Article The Possible Significance of Large Eyes in the Red-Legged Kittiwake Get access Robert W. Storer Robert W. Storer Museum of Zoology and Department of Biology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Condor, Volume 89, Issue 1, 1 February 1987, Pages 192–194, https://doi.org/10.2307/1368779 Published: 01 February 1987 Article history Received: 21 April 1986 Accepted: 29 September 1986 Published: 01 February 1987

A Comparsion of Nesting‐Ledges Used by Seabirds on St. George Island

Measurements of 288 nesting—ledges of six species of seabirds on St. George Island, Alaska, revealed significant interspecific differences in the size, shape, and overhang of ledges used. Typically, Red—legged Kittiwakes used ledges 1 dm deep; Northern Fulmars, Black—legged Kittiwakes, and Thick—billed Murres used ledges of an intermediate 2—4 dm depth; Red—faced Cormorants used ledges 3—6 dm deep; and Common Murres occurred singly on shallow ledges or in groups on deeper ledges. Fulmars and murres, which did not build nests, used nearly horizontal ledges exclusively; the nest—building species occurred on a wider range of slopes. Only the Red—legged Kittiwake regularly used ledges with over 50% cover by overhanging cliff within 5 dm of the ledge. Classification of the measured ledges of the cormorant, the two kittiwakes, and the Thick—billed Murre by a discriminant function analysis revealed significantly greater overlap than expected between the species pairs of cormorant with Thick—billed Murre, Black—legged with Red—legged Kittiwake, and Black—legged Kittiwake with Thick—billed Murre. Observations of 43 interspecific exchanges of nest sites during and between three breeding seasons agreed with the predictions by the discriminant analysis of overlap or lack thereof in three of four significant cases. Exchanges occurred significantly more frequently than expected between the species pairs of cormorant with Black—legged Kittiwake, cormorant with Thick—billed Murre, and Black—legged with Red—legged Kittiwake.

Copulatory behaviour of the cliff-nesting red-legged kittiwake

Copulatory behaviour of the cliff-nesting red-legged kittiwake

Red-Legged Kittiwake Colonies in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska

Nesting colonies of Red-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa brevirostris) have been discovered and censused in two locations in the Aleutian Islands: Buldir Island (52021'N, 175056'E) and Bogoslof Island (53055'N, 168005'W). These are the first confirmed recent breeding records of the species in the Aleutians. Only two other breeding stations are known for the species: the Pribilof Islands, Alaska (Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959) and the Commander Islands, U.S.S.R. (Vaurie 1965). Turner (1885, 1886) reported Red-legged Kittiwakes breeding in the Aleutian Islands. He believed that they were more common than Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) in the western Aleutians. Clark (1910) saw Red-legged Kittiwakes near Unalaska Island, eastern Aleutians; he said they became more common in the western Aleutians, apparently based on Turner's statement. Since Clark's work, several investigators (Eyerdam 1936, Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959, Karl W. Kenyon, pers. comm.) have recorded the species in the Aleutians in summer, but nesting has not been confirmed. Gabrielson and Lincoln (1959) thought that Red-legged Kittiwakes did not nest in the Aleutians, apparently because of the lack of breeding specimens, and because no recent investigators had found the species nesting. Murie (1959) did not see Red-legged Kittiwake in the Aleutians during three summers of intensive field work, and he suggested that early reports of abundant nesting (Turner 1885, 1886, Clark 1910) were erroneous. It seems unlikely that population decline of the magnitude suggested by the literature occurred in the Aleutians, so I concur with Murie, that Turner was mistaken. In July 1972, breeding Red-legged Kittiwakes were found at East Cape, Buldir Island. About 2,000 pairs of Red-legged Kittiwakes nested in mixed colonies with their congeners in three areas on Buldir and on two islets off Northwest Point 1974-1976. There is no indication that the status of Red-legged Kittiwakes has changed drastically at Buldir. K. W. Kenyon (pers. comm.) saw the species there in 1963 but was unable to visit the areas where they nest. Weather prevented investigators who visite-d Buldir (Murie 1959, Jones 1963) from investigating the nesting cliffs. In July 1973, 81 nests of Red-legged Kittiwakes (about 10% of all kittiwake nests) were discovered on Bogoslof Island, and 20 nests (among 1,000 Black-legged Kittiwake nests) were counted on Fire Island, small offshore islet. I. N. Gabrielson (unpubl. data) saw this species near Bogoslof in June 1946, when he observed birds flying toward a small isolated rock (Fire Island) which he could not investigate. Gabrielson did not find Red-legged Kittiwakes on Bogoslof, although he looked for them among the numerous Black-legged Kittiwakes. Apparently the species has colonized Bogoslof since 1946, perhaps from Fire Island. At least 20 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees were involved in gathering data contributing to this note. G. J. Divoky, D. D. Gibson, T. G. Tobish, and J. L. Trapp provided especially significant assistance. Captain G. A. Putney of the R/V Aleutian Tern provided expert logistic support. K. W. Kenyon offered encouragement and advice, and I. N. Gabrielson provided copies of his field notes from Bogoslof Island.