Diving behaviour of yellow-eyed penguins, Port Pegasus/Pikihatiti, Stewart Island/Rakiura, New Zealand

Chilvers, B. Louise; Dobbins, M. L.; Edmonds, HK

doi:10.1080/03014223.2014.908931

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Yellow‐eyed penguins are predominantly benthic divers in the northern population (Mattern et al, 2007; Mattern et al, 2013; Chilvers, Dobbins & Edmonds, 2014). The greater variability in diet at Enderby Island was also consistent with greater plasticity in diving and foraging behaviour, with significant proportions of pelagic diving, probably influenced by different foraging conditions affecting prey species availability and their distribution over time (Muller et al, 2020a).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Breeding yellow‐eyed penguins typically forage in coastal and mid‐shelf waters around mainland New Zealand (Moore, 1999; Mattern et al, 2007; Mattern et al, 2013), while, at the subantarctic Auckland Islands, yellow‐eyed penguins forage further offshore than many mainland birds do (Muller et al, 2021) and at greater depths (Muller et al, 2020a). Dive data from the northern population revealed predominantly benthic foraging behaviour (Seddon & van Heezik, 1990; Moore et al, 1995; Mattern, 2006; Mattern et al, 2007; Mattern et al, 2013; Chilvers, Dobbins & Edmonds, 2014). Earlier diet studies suggested that some pelagic prey species were utilized (van Heezik, 1990b); however, more recently, prey were interpreted as being mainly demersal (Moore & Wakelin, 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diet plasticity and links to changing foraging behaviour in the conservation of subantarctic yellow‐eyed penguins (Megadyptes antipodes)

Muller

Chilvers

French

et al. 2022

Aquatic Conservation

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Diet is a key factor affecting seabird foraging behaviour, ultimately influencing survival, breeding success and long‐term population viability. The density and distribution of prey species in the marine environment are influenced by many factors including climate effects such as El Niño southern oscillation and climate change that alter water temperature. While poor quality diet has been implicated as a contributing factor in the decline of some mainland New Zealand yellow‐eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) populations, little is known about their diet in the subantarctic where the majority of the species breeds. Blood and feather samples (n = 63) were collected for stable isotope analysis of diet from 25 individual birds breeding on subantarctic Enderby Island, Auckland Islands, New Zealand, from 2015 to 2018. Diet data were analysed by factors such as breeding year, sex and foraging behaviour. Stable isotope analysis demonstrated significant changes in diet during each year of the study, which included both El Niño and La Niña conditions. Diet during El Niño conditions comprised lower trophic level prey, which were more benthic, and found closer to shore than diet during La Niña. Coupled with the reported variable breeding success of yellow‐eyed penguins in the subantarctic, variable diet suggests prey availability is likely to be a limiting factor in some years. Prey availability is therefore expected to be a major influence on survival and breeding success of this endangered species in the future, particularly if the effects of climate change become more pronounced. This research highlights an urgent conservation need to identify prey species utilized by the southern population, along with their distribution in time and space, and therefore also the effect of diet on long‐term population stability.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet plasticity and links to changing foraging behaviour in the conservation of subantarctic yellow‐eyed penguins (Megadyptes antipodes)

Muller

Chilvers

French

et al. 2022

Aquatic Conservation

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“…Individual dive events were verified and categorised by direct visual assessment of depth data following methods described in Mattern et al [ 6 ]. A depth of 3 m is typically used in penguin dive studies [ 6 , 23 , 61 ]. This is usually carried out to save memory on devices deployed for long periods to collect data over a greater temporal scale, such as winter dispersals where birds can remain at sea for weeks or longer.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a marine foraging species, some variation in foraging behaviour is to be expected as the marine environment in which they forage, particularly in coastal areas, is not homogenous [ 19 , 20 ]. These site-specific differences in foraging behaviours, such as maximum dive depth, bottom time, proportion of benthic dives, foraging radii, and trip lengths [ 6 , 21 , 22 ], are heavily influenced by local bathymetry [ 23 ] and resource abundance [ 24 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consistent Site-Specific Foraging Behaviours of Yellow-eyed Penguins/Hoiho Breeding on Stewart Island, New Zealand

Elley

Mattern

Ellenberg

et al. 2022

Biology

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The endangered yellow-eyed penguin/hoiho (Megadyptes antipodes) predominantly forages benthically within its mainland range and shows high foraging site fidelity. Identifying consistencies in foraging locations can allow effective conservation, especially when managing bycatch risk. This study investigated the at-sea distribution of penguins breeding on Stewart Island to explore site-specific foraging strategies and inform fisheries management. During the 2020/21 season, 19 adult breeding yellow-eyed penguins from Port Pegasus, Paterson Inlet, and Codfish Island were fitted with GPS-TDR dive loggers to track their movements and diving behaviours. A total of 25,696 dives were recorded across 91 foraging trips. Birds from Port Pegasus reached significantly greater depths, spent longer at the seafloor, and performed longer dives. They also had the smallest foraging distribution, with most activity concentrated inshore. Compared to Port Pegasus, foraging radii and trip lengths were twice as large for Paterson Inlet and four times larger at Codfish Island. Despite differences in available foraging habitat, considerable individual and intra-site consistency for preferred foraging locations was observed. Localised behaviour and inter-site differences in dive metrics suggest significant plasticity in foraging ecology across their mainland range; however, individual behaviour and preferred foraging locations were extremely predictable. Thus, risk of mortality from fisheries can be quantified and managed accordingly.

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“…While penguin habitat use may be different throughout the year, their tolerance for certain environmental conditions might remain consistent. Several studies have analysed yellow-eyed penguin diving behaviour (Mattern et al, 2013;Mattern et al, 2007;Chilvers et al, 2014;Muller et al, 2020;Elley et al, 2022) and foraging range (Moore et al, 1995;Moore, 1999;Muller et al, 2021;Young et al, 2022). However, this is the first study that investigates the environmental drivers influencing marine habitat selection.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Staying close to home: Marine habitat selection by foraging yellow-eyed penguins using spatial distribution models

et al. 2022

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Endangered yellow-eyed penguins (Megadyptes antipodes) are central-place, benthic-diving foragers that search for prey in the productive marine areas off the coast of the South Island, New Zealand. Like other seabirds, they target specific, reliable areas of high prey abundance, which are often associated with oceanographic characteristics such as bathymetry, seafloor sediment type, and sea surface temperature. Employing GPS tracking data collected between 2003 and 2021, we created species distribution models using maximum entropy modelling (Maxent) to determine foraging space use and habitat suitability for yellow-eyed penguins across their entire South Island range and within five distinct subpopulations: Banks Peninsula, North Otago, Otago Peninsula, the Catlins, and Stewart Island. We quantified the importance of environmental variables for predicting foraging site selection during and outside the breeding season. Significant regional variation existed in predicted probability of penguin presence, and proximity to the nearest breeding area was a key predictor of suitable foraging habitat. When distance was not included in the models, dissolved oxygen concentration was the most important predictor in the overall South Island model and the North Otago, Otago Peninsula, and the Catlins subpopulation models, whereas water current speed and mean monthly turbidity were most important in Banks Peninsula and Stewart Island subpopulation models, respectively. Dynamic variables related to prey availability were often the most important variables in model predictions of the habitat selection of yellow-eyed penguins. Visualisations and findings from this study, particularly of the observed interactions between penguins and their marine habitat, can be used to direct conservation and resources during marine spatial planning and species management.

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Diving behaviour of yellow-eyed penguins, Port Pegasus/Pikihatiti, Stewart Island/Rakiura, New Zealand

Cited by 8 publications

References 18 publications

Diet plasticity and links to changing foraging behaviour in the conservation of subantarctic yellow‐eyed penguins (Megadyptes antipodes)

Diet plasticity and links to changing foraging behaviour in the conservation of subantarctic yellow‐eyed penguins (Megadyptes antipodes)

Consistent Site-Specific Foraging Behaviours of Yellow-eyed Penguins/Hoiho Breeding on Stewart Island, New Zealand

Staying close to home: Marine habitat selection by foraging yellow-eyed penguins using spatial distribution models

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