Variation in Primary Molt in the Least Auklet

Bond, Alexander L.; Konyukhov, Nikolai B.; Jones, Ian L.

doi:10.1525/cond.2013.110062

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Our work adds evidence for the occurrence of moulting during the breeding season of seabirds (Bond et al 2013, Catry et al 2013, Bourgeois & Dromze e 2014, Weimerskirch et al 2015 and therefore for the simultaneous presence on the birds of feathers developed during both the breeding and the inter-breeding periods. A positive consequence is that different moulting periods, in habitats with prey with different isotopic signatures, allow the determination of the isotopic signature of the breeding and wintering sites for the same birds using the same tissue.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

“…Our work adds evidence for the occurrence of moulting during the breeding season of seabirds (Bond et al . , Catry et al . , Bourgeois & Dromzeé , Weimerskirch et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the overlap between breeding and moulting increases towards higher latitudes (Newton ) and many species start moulting by the end of their breeding period or even completely overlap both processes (Nelson , Schreiber & Burger , Bond et al . , Catry et al . , Bourgeois & Dromzeé ), constituting exceptions to the broadly assumed inter‐breeding moult.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For this reason, if moulting takes place outside the breeding site, stable isotope analysis of feathers has the potential of allowing the identification of the wintering areas and trophic level of the birds during the non-breeding period (Cherel et al 2000, 2014, Furness et al 2006, Phillips et al 2007). However, the overlap between breeding and moulting increases towards higher latitudes (Newton 2008) and many species start moulting by the end of their breeding period or even completely overlap both processes (Nelson 1979, Schreiber & Burger 2001, Bond et al 2013, Catry et al 2013, Bourgeois & Dromze e 2014, constituting exceptions to the broadly assumed inter-breeding moult.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Skuas (Stercorarius spp.) moult body feathers during both the breeding and inter‐breeding periods: implications for stable isotope investigations in seabirds

Grilli

Cherel

2016

Ibis

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Seabirds are mostly thought to moult during the inter‐breeding period and the isotopic values of their feathers are often therefore assumed to relate to their assimilated diet during such periods. We observed Brown Skuas Stercorarius antarcticus lonnbergi and South Polar Skuas Stercorarius maccormicki moulting on a breeding site at King George Island, Antarctica. This raises concerns about the reliability of using stable isotopes in feathers to infer feeding localities of birds during the inter‐breeding period. We analysed the δ13C and δ15N values of growing and fully grown body feathers collected from the same individuals. For both species, δ13C values of growing feathers indicated feeding areas in the Antarctic zone (breeding grounds), whereas most fully grown feathers (100% for South Polar Skuas and 93.3% for Brown Skuas) could be assigned to northern latitudes (non‐breeding grounds). However, a few fully grown body feathers of Brown Skuas (6.7% of the feathers, belonging to two birds) showed isotopic values that indicated moult in the Antarctic zone. As the growth period of those feathers was unknown, they could not be used with confidence to depict the foraging behaviour of the birds during the non‐breeding period. Although precautions must be taken when inferring dietary information from feathers in seabirds where the moulting pattern is unknown, this study shows that if the development stage of a feather (growing/fully grown) is identified, then dietary information from both breeding and non‐breeding seasons can be obtained on the same individual birds.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

“…Our work adds evidence for the occurrence of moulting during the breeding season of seabirds (Bond et al . , Catry et al . , Bourgeois & Dromzeé , Weimerskirch et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Skuas (Stercorarius spp.) moult body feathers during both the breeding and inter‐breeding periods: implications for stable isotope investigations in seabirds

Grilli

Cherel

2016

Ibis

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“…In addition to the impact of the environment itself, divergent moult strategies may vary within species in response to sex and changing states of individuals e.g. from juvenile to adult (Hemborg & Merila, 1999;Pérez-Tris et al, 2001), from active breeding to failed-breeding or non-breeding (Alonso et al, 2009;Bond, Konyukhov, & Jones, 2013;Crossin et al, 2013). Generally, between-sex differences in several physiological, morphological, behavioural and ecological characteristics may cause differences in moult dynamics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonality, diet, and physiology as a predominant control factors of the moult dynamics in birds – a meta-analysis

Drobniak¹,

Gudowska²

2020

Preprint

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Moult is a process, usually occurring annually, in which birds replace their plumage. It is one of the most crucial life-history traits because it restores the functions of plumage and allows a bird to adapt to environmental conditions or special seasonal needs such as breeding and camouflage during non-breeding season. Consequently, moulting has advantages in terms of future performance. However, it also has immediate costs related to producing protein-rich tissue, reduced thermoregulation and flight performance. Expression of such costs may depend on a wide array of physiological and environmental factors experienced by an individual. Considering a variety of factors affecting moult dynamics in single studies, we use a systematic meta-analytical approach to summarise existing evidence and look for general patterns in how moult depends on both extrinsic (environment, ecological variability) and intrinsic (physiology, energy reserves, life stage) factors.

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A new biologging approach reveals unique flightless molt strategies of Atlantic puffins

Darby

Harris

Wanless

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Animal‐borne telemetry devices provide essential insights into the life‐history strategies of far‐ranging species and allow us to understand how they interact with their environment. Many species in the seabird family Alcidae undergo a synchronous molt of all primary flight feathers during the non‐breeding season, making them flightless and more susceptible to environmental stressors, including severe storms and prey shortages. However, the timing and location of molt remain largely unknown, with most information coming from studies on birds killed by storms or shot by hunters for food. Using light‐level geolocators with saltwater immersion loggers, we develop a method for determining flightless periods in the context of the annual cycle. Four Atlantic puffins ( Fratercula arctica ) were equipped with geolocator/immersion loggers on each leg to attempt to overcome issues of leg tucking in plumage while sitting on the water, which confounds the interpretation of logger data. Light‐level and saltwater immersion time‐series data were combined to correct for this issue. This approach was adapted and applied to 40 puffins equipped with the standard practice deployments of geolocators on one leg only. Flightless periods consistent with molt were identified in the dual‐equipped birds, whereas molt identification in single‐equipped birds was less effective and definitive and should be treated with caution. Within the dual‐equipped sample, we present evidence for two flightless molt periods per non‐breeding season in two puffins that undertook more extensive migrations (>2000 km) and were flightless for up to 77 days in a single non‐breeding season. A biannual flight feather molt is highly unusual among non‐passerine birds and may be unique to birds that undergo catastrophic molt, i.e., become flightless when molting. Although our conclusions are based on a small sample, we have established a freely available methodological framework for future investigation of the molt patterns of this and other seabird species.

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Variation in Primary Molt in the Least Auklet

Cited by 10 publications

References 41 publications

Skuas (Stercorarius spp.) moult body feathers during both the breeding and inter‐breeding periods: implications for stable isotope investigations in seabirds

Skuas (Stercorarius spp.) moult body feathers during both the breeding and inter‐breeding periods: implications for stable isotope investigations in seabirds

Seasonality, diet, and physiology as a predominant control factors of the moult dynamics in birds – a meta-analysis

A new biologging approach reveals unique flightless molt strategies of Atlantic puffins

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