Links
- More information: Publisher's Website
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
While conducting an offshore bird census from the sea beach at Nelson Lagoon, Alaska Peninsula (56°00'N, 161°10'W) at 1700 on 17 September 1976 1 saw a Fork-tailed Storm Petrel (Oceanodroma f. furcata) feeding on the beached remains of an adult gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) that had been trapped by ice and died the previous April. I watched it for about 15 min. The sky was overcast with a 25-knot offshore wind, gusting to 35 knots. Seas were running from 3 to 4 m, and the tide was high. This observation is of note because it provides direct evidence of a terrestrial (i.e. nonpelagic) foraging capability by O. furcata. It also furthers the scant knowledge on the use of beached marine mammals for food by pelagic and inshore avifauna, especially during adverse weather when normal foraging habits might be inhibited.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Unusual foraging by a fork-tailed storm-petrel |
| Series title | The Auk |
| Volume | 94 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Year Published | 1977 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | American Ornithological Society |
| Contributing office(s) | Alaska Science Center |
| Description | 2 p. |
| First page | 385 |
| Last page | 386 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Other Geospatial | Nelson Lagoon |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |