Daily patterns of activity of passerine birds in a Magellanic sub-Antarctic forest at Omora Park (55°S), Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve, Chile

Abstract Ecosystems in the sub-Antarctic region can be subjected to extreme weather conditions year-round. Little data exist that show any relationship between climatic variables and activity patterns of passerine birds, despite the fact that weather patterns can have a dramatic influence on the foraging strategies of these birds in different seasons. Passerine birds must balance the risk of starvation and the risk of predation in accordance with variation in environmental variables. The goal of this study was to determine the relationship of season, habitat type and weather patterns with the daily activity patterns of three diurnal passerine bird species from different trophic guilds. Unlike most low-latitude passerine species, the three passerine bird species in Omora Park on Navarino Island do not show strict adherence to a bimodal activity pattern; instead, these birds show a variety of activity patterns throughout the year that differ by trophic guild and habitat type. These modifications in activity patterns may be an adaptation to minimize the risk of predation and starvation in the face of temperature-dependent food availability

Population Trends of a Mixed-Species Colony of Humboldt and Magellanic Penguins in Southern Chile after Establishing a Protected Area

Worldwide marine protected areas (MPAs) have been designated to protect marine resources, including top predators such as seabirds. There is no conclusive information on whether protected areas can improve population trends of seabirds when these are further exploited as tourist attractions, an activity that has increased in past decades. Humboldt Penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) and Magellanic Penguins (S. magellanicus) breed sympatrically on Puñihuil Islets, two small coastal islands off the west coast of Chiloé Island (41° S) in southern Chile that are subject to exploitation for tourism. Our goal was to compare the population size of the mixed colony of Humboldt and Magellanic Penguins before and after protection from unregulated tourism and freely roaming goats in 1997. For this purpose, two censuses were conducted in 2004 and 2008, and the numbers compared with those obtained in 1997 by other authors. The proportion of occupied, unoccupied, and collapsed/flooded burrows changed between years; there were 68% and 34% fewer collapsed burrows in 2004 and 2008, respectively, than in 1997. For the total number of burrows of both species, we counted 48% and 63% more burrows in 2004 and 2008, respectively, than in 1997. We counted 13% more burrows of Humboldt Penguins in 2008 than in 1997, and for Magellanic Penguins, we estimated a 64% increase in burrows in 2008. Presumably, this was as a result of habitat improvement attributable to the exclusion of tourists and the removal of goats from the islets. Although tourist visits to the islets are prohibited, tourism activities around the colonies are prevalent and need to be taken into account to promote appropriate management

Tendance d’une colonie mixte de Manchots de Humboldt et de Manchots de Magellan dans le sud du Chili à la suite de l’établissement d’une aire protégée

Worldwide marine protected areas (MPAs) have been designated to protect marine resources, including top predators such as seabirds. There is no conclusive information on whether protected areas can improve population trends of seabirds when these are further exploited as tourist attractions, an activity that has increased in past decades. Humboldt Penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) and Magellanic Penguins (S. magellanicus) breed sympatrically on Puñihuil Islets, two small coastal islands off the west coast of Chiloé Island (41° S) in southern Chile that are subject to exploitation for tourism. Our goal was to compare the population size of the mixed colony of Humboldt and Magellanic Penguins before and after protection from unregulated tourism and freely roaming goats in 1997. For this purpose, two censuses were conducted in 2004 and 2008, and the numbers compared with those obtained in 1997 by other authors. The proportion of occupied, unoccupied, and collapsed/ flooded burrows changed between years; there were 68% and 34% fewer collapsed burrows in 2004 and 2008, respectively, than in 1997. For the total number of burrows of both species, we counted 48% and 63% more burrows in 2004 and 2008, respectively, than in 1997. We counted 13% more burrows of Humboldt Penguins in 2008 than in 1997, and for Magellanic Penguins, we estimated a 64% increase in burrows in 2008. Presumably, this was as a result of habitat improvement attributable to the exclusion of tourists and the removal of goats from the islets. Although tourist visits to the islets are prohibited, tourism activities around the colonies are prevalent and need to be taken into account to promote appropriate management.Les aires marines protégées ont été établies à l’échelle mondiale pour protéger les ressources marines, dont les prédateurs au sommet de la chaîne alimentaire comme les oiseaux marins. Rien n’indique de façon concluante que la protection d’aires permet une hausse des populations d’oiseaux marins dans les cas où ces populations représentent toujours une attraction touristique, activité dont la popularité a augmenté au cours des dernières décennies. Les Manchots de Humboldt (Spheniscus humboldti) et les Manchots de Magellan (S. magellanicus) nichent de façon sympatrique sur les îlots Puñihuil, deux petites îles au large de la côte ouest de l’île de Chiloé (41° S.) qui font l’objet de visites touristiques dans le sud du Chili. L’objectif de notre étude était de comparer la taille des deux populations de manchots avant et après l’établissement d’une réglementation touchant le tourisme et les chèvres en liberté en 1997. À cette fin, deux relevés ont été effectués en 2004 et 2008, et les résultats ont été comparés à ceux obtenus en 1997 par d’autres auteurs. La proportion de terriers occupés, non occupés ou effondrés/inondés a varié selon les années; ainsi, il y a eu 68 % et 34 % moins de terriers effondrés en 2004 et 2008, respectivement, qu’en 1997. Pour ce qui est du nombre de terriers des deux espèces, nous avons compté 48 % et 63 % plus de terriers en 2004 et 2008, respectivement, qu’en 1997. Nous avons compté 13 % plus de terriers de Manchots de Humboldt en 2008 par rapport à 1997, et avons observé une hausse de 64 % pour les terriers de Manchots de Magellan en 2008. Nous pouvons présumer que ces hausses résultent de l’amélioration de l’habitat consécutive à l’exclusion des touristes et au retrait des chèvres des îlots. Même si les visites touristiques sont maintenant interdites sur les îlots, l’activité touristique aux abords des colonies a toujours cours et doit être prise en compte si on veut mettre en place une gestion adéquate.Fil: Reyes Arriagada, Ronnie. Universidad Austral de Chile; Chile;Fil: Hiriart Bertrand, Luciano. Universidad Andres Bello; Chile;Fil: Riquelme, Victoria. Universidad Austral de Chile; Chile;Fil: Simeone, Alejandro. Universidad Andres Bello; Chile;Fil: Pütz, Klemens. Antartic Research Trust; Suiza;Fil: Lüthi, Benno. Antartic Research Trust; Suiza;Fil: Raya Rey, Andrea Nélida. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Cientificas; Argentina

A population estimate of the Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus in the Wollaston and Hermite Island Groups, Cape Horn Archipelago, Chile, and concerns over conservation in the area

We documented the population size of Sooty Shearwater on the Wollaston and Hermite Island Groups. A population of at least 100,000 pairs were found on Wollaston and there may be as many as 300,000 pairs in the Wollaston and Hermite Island Groups. We also confirmed the presence of Magellanic Diving-petrel and Fuegian Storm-petrel in the Island Group and discussed the status of these taxa in southern Chile. The status of the mammals found on these islands is also summarised and concerns are raised over the possibility that introduced mammals, especially beavers, muskrats, minks and feral cats may reach these pristine islands affecting seabird populations

Post-moult movements of sympatrically breeding Humboldt and Magellanic Penguins in south-central Chile

Ten Humboldt (Spheniscus humboldti) and eight Magellanic Penguins (S. magellanicus) were successfully equipped with satellite transmitters in March 2009 on Islotes Puñihuil in central south-Chile to follow their post-moult dispersal. Overall, Humboldt Penguins could be followed for a mean period of 49 ±18 days (range: 25–93) and Magellanic Penguins for 57 ±12 days (range 35–68). Irrespective of species and sex, seven study birds remained in the vicinity of their breeding ground throughout the transmission period. All other penguins moved northwards, either only a relatively short distance (max 400 km) to Isla Mocha at 38°S (n=3) or further north beyond 35°S (n=8). However, eight of these birds (73%) turned south again towards the end of the individual tracking periods. The total area used by both species during the tracking period was restricted to a coastal area stretching from the breeding site at 42°S about 1000 km to the north at about 32°S. The area used by Humboldt penguins overlapped by 95% the area used by Magellanic penguins, whereas the area used by the latter species was much larger and overlapped only by 45% with the area used by Humboldt penguins. Overall, our results indicate that Magellanic Penguins in the Pacific Ocean are probably less migratory than their conspecifics on the Atlantic side, while Humboldt Penguins appear to be more migratory than previously anticipated. In general, there was a poor relationship between preferred foraging areas and chlorophyll-a, as a proxy for primary productivity, indicating the limitations of using remote-sensed primary productivity as a proxy to interpret the foraging behaviour of marine predators. In addition, there was also no clear relationship between the preferred foraging areas and the amount of regional fish catches by artisanal fishery

Comparative foraging behaviour of sympatric Humboldt and Magellanic Penguins reveals species-specific and sex-specific strategies

How closely related marine organisms mitigate competition for resources while foraging at sea is not well understood, particularly the relative importance of interspecific and intraspecific mitigation strategies. Using location and time–depth data, we investigated species-specific and sex-specific foraging areas and diving behaviour of the closely related Humboldt (Spheniscus humboldti) and Magellanic (S. magellanicus) Penguins breeding in sympatry at Islotes Puñihuil in southern Chile during the chick-rearing period. The average duration of foraging trips was <20 h and did not differ significantly between species or between sexes of each species. Magellanic Penguins made significantly deeper and longer dives than Humboldt Penguins. Males of both species made significantly longer dives than females. Total distance travelled per foraging trip was significantly greater for males than for females, and females made more direct trips (less sinuous) than males. Foraging effort was concentrated in waters up to 15 km to the west and south-west of the colony. The overlap in density contours was lower between species than between sexes within a species. In general, dive characteristics and foraging areas differed more between Magellanic and Humboldt Penguins than between the sexes of each species. In contrast to the findings of studies of flying seabirds, the foraging behaviour of these penguins differs more between species than between sexes.Fil: Raya Rey, Andrea Nélida. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas; ArgentinaFil: Pütz, Klemens. Antarctic Research Trust; AlemaniaFil: Simeone, Alejandro. Universidad Andrés Bello; ArgentinaFil: Hiriart Bertrand, Luciano. Universidad Andrés Bello; Chile. University of California at San Diego; Estados UnidosFil: Reyes Arriagada, Ronnie. Universidad Austral de Chile; Chile. Universidad de Magallanes; ChileFil: Riquelme, Victoria. Universidad de Magallanes; Chile. Universidad Austral de Chile; ChileFil: Lüthi, Benno. Antarctic Research Trust; Suiz

Population Trends of a Mixed-Species Colony of Humboldt and Magellanic Penguins in Southern Chile after Establishing a Protected Area Tendance d&apos;une colonie mixte de Manchots de Humboldt et de Manchots de Magellan dans le sud du Chili à la suite de l&apos;étab

. 2013. Population trends of a mixed-species colony of Humboldt and Magellanic Penguins in southern Chile after establishing a protected area. Avian Conservation and Ecology 8(2): 13. http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ ACE-00617-080213 ABSTRACT. Worldwide marine protected areas (MPAs) have been designated to protect marine resources, including top predators such as seabirds. There is no conclusive information on whether protected areas can improve population trends of seabirds when these are further exploited as tourist attractions, an activity that has increased in past decades. Humboldt Penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) and Magellanic Penguins (S. magellanicus) breed sympatrically on Puñihuil Islets, two small coastal islands off the west coast of Chiloé Island (41° S) in southern Chile that are subject to exploitation for tourism. Our goal was to compare the population size of the mixed colony of Humboldt and Magellanic Penguins before and after protection from unregulated tourism and freely roaming goats in 1997. For this purpose, two censuses were conducted in 2004 and 2008, and the numbers compared with those obtained in 1997 by other authors. The proportion of occupied, unoccupied, and collapsed/ flooded burrows changed between years; there were 68% and 34% fewer collapsed burrows in 2004 and 2008, respectively, than in 1997. For the total number of burrows of both species, we counted 48% and 63% more burrows in 2004 and 2008, respectively, than in 1997. We counted 13% more burrows of Humboldt Penguins in 2008 than in 1997, and for Magellanic Penguins, we estimated a 64% increase in burrows in 2008. Presumably, this was as a result of habitat improvement attributable to the exclusion of tourists and the removal of goats from the islets. Although tourist visits to the islets are prohibited, tourism activities around the colonies are prevalent and need to be taken into account to promote appropriate management. Research Paper Population Trends of a Mixed-Species Colony of Humboldt and Magellanic Penguins in Southern Chile after Establishing a Protected Area RÉSUMÉ. Les aires marines protégées ont été établies à l&apos;échelle mondiale pour protéger les ressources marines, dont les prédateurs au sommet de la chaîne alimentaire comme les oiseaux marins. Rien n&apos;indique de façon concluante que la protection d&apos;aires permet une hausse des populations d&apos;oiseaux marins dans les cas où ces populations représentent toujours une attraction touristique, activité dont la popularité a augmenté au cours des dernières décennies. Les Manchots de Humboldt (Spheniscus humboldti) et les Manchots de Magellan (S. magellanicus) nichent de façon sympatrique sur les îlots Puñihuil, deux petites îles au large de la côte ouest de l&apos;île de Chiloé (41° S.) qui font l&apos;objet de visites touristiques dans le sud du Chili. L&apos;objectif de notre étude était de comparer la taille des deux Nous pouvons présumer que ces hausses résultent de l&apos;amélioration de l&apos;habitat consécutive à l&apos;exclusion des touristes et au retrait des chèvres des îlots. Même si les visites touristiques sont maintenant interdites sur les îlots, l&apos;activité touristique aux abords des colonies a toujours cours et doit être prise en compte si on veut mettre en place une gestion adéquate