Journal article

Publication year: 2010

Pages: 1537-1546

Journal: Polar Biology

Volume number: 33

Issue number: 11

ISSN: 0722-4060

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-010-0843-7

Publisher: Springer

Abstract: 
The diet of the Imperial Shag Phalacrocorax atriceps was studied on New Island, Falkland/Malvinas Islands during the 2008/2009 breeding season, with some additional data from 2007/2008. The diet comprised a large variety of prey, mainly fish, crustaceans and squid. In contrast to other species of the blue-eyed shag complex, prey not only consisted of benthic organisms but also included pelagic prey. Different sampling techniques were combined in order to obtain a comprehensive overview of the diet. Pellets, regurgitations and stomach contents yielded different results. We discuss the causes for these variations including different sample availability over time. In particular, the stomach analyses seem to overestimate the importance of squid based on the occurrence of squid beaks. For the pellet analyses, lobster krill accounted for the majority of the prey remains except during the second half of December (i.e. when young chicks were being attended), when fish was more important.

Harvard Citation style: Michalik, A., van Noordwijk, H., Brickle, P., Eggers, T. and Quillfeldt, P. (2010) The diet of the Imperial Shag Phalacrocorax atriceps at a colony on New Island, Falkland/Malvinas Islands combining different sampling techniques, Polar Biology, 33(11), pp. 1537-1546. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-010-0843-7

APA Citation style: Michalik, A., van Noordwijk, H., Brickle, P., Eggers, T., & Quillfeldt, P. (2010). The diet of the Imperial Shag Phalacrocorax atriceps at a colony on New Island, Falkland/Malvinas Islands combining different sampling techniques. Polar Biology. 33(11), 1537-1546. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-010-0843-7