Does sexual segregation occur during the nonbreeding period? A comparative analysis in spatial and feeding ecology of three Calonectris shearwaters.

ABSTRACT: Sexual segregation (SS) is widespread among animal taxa, with males and females segregated in distribution, behavior, or feeding ecology but so far, most studies on birds have focused on the breeding period. Outside this period, the relevance of segregation and the potential drivers of its persistence remain elusive, especially in the marine environment, where animals can disperse over vast areas and are not easily observed. We evaluated the degree of SS in spatio-temporal distribution and phenology, at-sea behavior, and feeding ecology during the nonbreeding period among three closely related shearwaters: Scopoli's, Cory's, and Cape Verde shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea, C. borealis, and C. edwardsii, respectively). We tracked 179 birds (92 males and 87 females) from 2008

SUBMITTER: De Felipe F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6787824 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature