River Otter Predation of Nesting Seabirds Along the Coasts of North America.

ABSTRACT: River otter (Lontra canadensis) predation of seabirds has been periodically documented throughout North America, but most knowledge about this subject exists as anecdotal observations in the memories of experienced seabird biologists. Using surveys, interviews, white papers, and published literature, we collected detailed records of seabird predation by river otters at 73 islands on the coasts of North America. From this dataset, we were able to draw conclusions about the seabird species experiencing river otter predation, the geographic distribution of predation records, and factors associated with river otter occurrence at colony islands. River otters preferentially select for small-bodied burrow-nesting species, with predation of ground-nesting species occurring mostly opportunis

SUBMITTER: Stuntz L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12432334 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature