Time-lapse imagery of Adelie penguins reveals differential winter strategies and breeding site occupation.

ABSTRACT: Polar seabirds adopt different over-wintering strategies to survive and build condition during the critical winter period. Penguin species either reside at the colony during the winter months or migrate long distances. Tracking studies and survey methods have revealed differences in winter migration routes among penguin species and colonies, dependent on both biotic and abiotic factors present. However, scan sampling methods are rarely used to reveal non-breeding behaviors during winter and little is known about presence at the colony site over this period. Here we show that Adélie penguins on the Yalour Islands in the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) are present year-round at the colony and undergo a mid-winter peak in abundance during winter. We found a negative relationship between day

SUBMITTER: Black C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5862443 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature