GPS tracking during parental care does not affect early offspring development in lesser black-backed gulls

Kavelaars, Marwa M.; Stienen, Eric; Matheve, Hans; Buijs, Roland-Jan; Lens, Luc; Müller, Wendt

doi:10.1007/s00227-018-3347-6

Cited by 22 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 54 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Attaching GPS devices and other transmitters to free-living birds can have negative effects on their behaviour and survival 53 . Previous studies using the same GPS device and harness as in the current study have observed no short- or long-term effects on lesser black-backed gulls 25,54,55 . To test for tag effects on breeding output, we compared the breeding success of our tagged individuals with control gulls nesting on the same roof or adjacent roofs in order to identify possible tag effects.…”

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 45%

Habitat use of urban-nesting lesser black-backed gulls during the breeding season

Spelt

Williamson

Shamoun‐Baranes

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Increasing urbanisation is detrimental for some animal species and potentially advantageous for others. Urban-nesting populations of gulls have undergone rapid population increases worldwide, which has resulted in an increase in human-gull conflicts. In order to inform management and conservation decisions in relation to these populations, more information is needed about the behaviour of these birds in urban settings and how they utilise their environment. This study combined Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking data of 12 urban-nesting lesser black-backed gulls, Larus fuscus , with habitat and behaviour data over three breeding seasons (2016–2018). Despite the proximity of marine areas (~10 km), the birds only made significant use of terrestrial environments, spending two-thirds of their time away from the nest in suburban and urban areas, and one-third in rural green areas. The gulls utilised suburban and urban areas more as their chicks grew and appeared to use diverse foraging strategies to suit different habitats. These results indicate that the range of potential foraging areas available needs to be considered in management decisions and that urban bird populations may not use the resources they are expected to.

show abstract

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 45%

Habitat use of urban-nesting lesser black-backed gulls during the breeding season

Spelt

Williamson

Shamoun‐Baranes

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Data from GPS were considered to have a fixed location with an error radius of 0 m. Tracking devices weighed 11.5 g to 30 g (< 3% of average Herring Gull body mass) and were programmed with a variety of duty cycles (Table 1). Tracking devices do not appear to alter the behaviour, survival, and reproductive success of large gulls [33, 35, 36]. After removing tracks that did not contain both breeding and wintering locations, we obtained tracks from 43 individuals, with eight to ten individuals from each population (Table 1).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Winter home range and habitat selection differs among breeding populations of herring gulls in eastern North America

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Recognizing the factors influencing migratory individuals throughout their annual cycle is important for understanding the drivers of population dynamics. Previous studies have found that Herring Gulls ( Larus argentatus ) in the Atlantic region have lower survival rates than those in the Great Lakes and the Arctic. One possible explanation for divergent survival rates among these populations is differences in their non-breeding habitats. Methods We tracked Herring Gulls from five populations, breeding in the eastern Arctic, the Great Lakes, Newfoundland, Sable Island, and the Bay of Fundy. We assessed the extent of migratory connectivity between breeding and wintering sites, and tested if there were differences in home range size or habitat selection among these populations during the winter. Results The tracked Herring Gulls had strong migratory connectivity between their breeding and wintering areas. We found that Herring Gulls from the Arctic spent most of the winter in marine habitats, while the other populations used a wider variety of habitats. However, the Newfoundland and Sable Island populations selected for urban habitats, and almost all individuals the specialized in urban habitats came from one of the three Atlantic populations. Conclusions Our results suggest that there could potentially be a link between urban habitat use during the winter and reduced adult survival in Atlantic Canada Herring Gulls. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s40462-019-0152-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

show abstract

“…Brood size was standardized at 2 chicks per nest, which were cross-fostered: the original eggs were substituted by 2 pipping eggs obtained from 2 different, haphazardly chosen nests, selecting only first- or second- laid eggs. This procedure standardized offspring demand, promoted hatching synchrony within broods, and removed parental genetic effects on chick growth and survival in the context of a study on potential effects of tagging on breeding performance [58]. If age nevertheless differed between chicks within broods, the age of the oldest chick was used for statistical analysis.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Time and energy costs of different foraging choices in an avian generalist species

et al. 2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundAnimals can obtain a higher foraging yield by optimizing energy expenditure or minimizing time costs. In this study, we assessed how individual variation in the relative use of marine and terrestrial foraging habitats relates to differences in the energy and time investments of an avian generalistic feeder (the Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus), and how this changes during the course of the chick-rearing period.MethodsWe analyzed 5 years of GPS tracking data collected at the colony of Zeebrugge (Belgium). Cost proxies for energy expenditure (overall dynamic body acceleration) and time costs (trip durations and time spent away from the colony), together with trip frequency, were analyzed against the relative use of the marine and terrestrial habitats.ResultsThe marine habitat was most often used by males and outside weekends, when fisheries are active. Marine trips implied higher energetic costs and lower time investments. As chicks became older, terrestrial trips became more prevalent, and trip frequency reached a peak towards 20 days after hatching of the first egg. Over a full chick rearing period, energy costs varied widely between individuals, but no trends were found across the marine foraging gradient. Conversely, a higher use of marine foraging implied lower overall amounts of time spent away from the colony.ConclusionsForaging habitat choice was related to overall time costs incurred by gulls, but not to energy costs. The effect of chick age on foraging habitat choice and effort may be driven by energy expenditure constraints on the amount of marine foraging that can be performed. If time is less constraining to them, Lesser Black-backed Gulls may meet the increasing chick demand for food by switching from high to low energy demanding foraging strategies.

show abstract

GPS tracking during parental care does not affect early offspring development in lesser black-backed gulls

Cited by 22 publications

References 54 publications

Habitat use of urban-nesting lesser black-backed gulls during the breeding season

Habitat use of urban-nesting lesser black-backed gulls during the breeding season

Winter home range and habitat selection differs among breeding populations of herring gulls in eastern North America

Time and energy costs of different foraging choices in an avian generalist species

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About