Habitat use, diet and breeding biology of tufted puffins in Prince William Sound, Alaska
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Abstract
Habitat use, diet and breeding biology of tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) were studied in Prince William Sound, Alaska, during summer 1995. On Seal Island, 112 puffin burrows (71% active) were located. Of 95 accessible burrows, 49% were typical earthen burrows, whereas the remainder were atypical for the species (e.g., under tree roots). Hatching success (≤79%), fledging success (≥82%), chick growth rates (17.7 g/day), asymptotic (600 g) and fledging (563 g) weights, meal sizes (14.2 g), meal delivery rates (5.32 meals/day), and daily rations (75.5 g/day) were all average or above-average for tufted puffins in Alaska. A total of 42 chick meals, comprising 125 individual prey were collected. Meals were composed of juvenile pollock (12.7% of total mass), herring (21.8%), prowfish (32.3%), salmonids (24.1%), and capelin, sandlance and squid (<5% each). Tufted puffin populations in Prince William Sound are relatively small, and may be limited by low densities of prey in the Sound, nest-site availability, and heavy rainfall.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Habitat use, diet and breeding biology of tufted puffins in Prince William Sound, Alaska |
| Series title | Northwestern Naturalist |
| DOI | 10.2307/3536864 |
| Volume | 78 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Year Published | 1997 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Society for Northwestern Vertebrate Biology |
| Contributing office(s) | Alaska Science Center |
| Description | 8 p. |
| First page | 102 |
| Last page | 109 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Other Geospatial | Prince William Sound |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |