Tube-nosed pelagic seabirds

Presentation on theme: "Tube-nosed pelagic seabirds"— Presentation transcript:

1 Tube-nosed pelagic seabirds
Feathers & Molt Order of the Day Procellariiformes 4 families, 112 species Tube-nosed pelagic seabirds All lay a single egg Waved Albatross pair

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3 Diomedeidae – Albatrosses
24 species Short-tailed Albatross

4 Waved Albatross

5 Procellariidae Shearwaters, petrels & fulmars All oceans 76 species
Largest petrel, the Giant Petrel, is as big as an albatross Large species nest in the open Small species in “burrows”

6 Southern Giant Petrel

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8 Giant Petrel chick – gack!

9 Antarctic Petrel with chick
Antarctic Fulmar with chick

10 Snow Petrel Boat-billed Prion

11 Wilson’s Storm Petrel – Hydrobatidae (21 species)

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13 DIVING-PETRELS Pelecanoididae
4 species

14 South Georgia Diving Petrel

15 Human predation Drift-net fishing Long-line fishing Pollution Introduced predators Habitat degradation

16 Items regurgitated by Laysan Albatross on Midway Island
Wandering Albatross caught in tuna long-line, eastern Australia

17 Summary Pelagic seabirds of global distribution
Tubular nostrils & keen sense of smell Most species feed on sea surface All species lay a single egg Both parents & young “gack” their enemies Penguins & “petrels” are close relatives

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19 Gill is encyclopedic!

20 Six functions of feathers
Flight Insulation Camouflage Sexual display Buoyancy Nest building material

21 Mature feathers are: Dead Composed of beta keratin
Weigh 2-3 x more than the skeleton Replaced at least once per year

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23 Contour or vane feather

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28 Aquatic species preen up to 17 times a day

29 Uropygial (preen) gland

30 Preen gland Fatty acids, fats & waxes
Waterproofs and protects beaks, feathers, claws and scales 7-dehydrocholesterol > vitamin D

31 Six feather types Vane or contour Down Semiplume Filoplume Bristle
Powder down

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34 Ground Dove Filoplume

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38 Powder down Species that lack preen glands
Ratites, herons, parrots, pigeons, and woodpeckers among others Scattered diffusely throughout plumage in hawks and parrots, as patches in herons

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40 Feather distribution

41 Remiges (singular Remex) Wing flight feathers
9 some passerines 11 many nonpasserines 12 grebes Hummers 6, albatrosses 40

42 Feather tracts -- pterylae

43 Except penguins, ratites, screamers & colies

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45 Bigger birds have more feathers
Species No. feathers Ruby-throated Hummingbird Song Sparrow 2,000 Barred Owl 9,206 Whistling Swan ,216

46 Molt Speed, pattern & number/year variable
Typically adults replace all or most of their feathers once/yr, usually immediately after breeding Most molt & breed at different times Thyroid involved in molt, perhaps gonads

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48 Molt Sequences Basic = winter Alternate = nuptial
(camouflage) (the alter)

49 Nuptial or Alternate plumage Winter or Basic plumage

50 Eclipse Plumage Northern Shoveler

51 Snow Bunting Breeding plumage of summer males is not a separate plumage but just the worn winter plumage. Typical of many passerines. Breeding plumage of summer males is not a separate plumage but just the worn winter plumage. Typical of many passerines.

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53 Summer Tanager, female

54 Summer Tanager, 1st year male

55 Summer Tanager, 2nd year male

56 Summer Tanager, adult male

57 Little Gull

58 Centrifugal molt Thyroid controls molt

59 Prebasic molt duration decreases 1 hr per mile northward (2
Prebasic molt duration decreases 1 hr per mile northward (2.6 days per degree Lat.) 35ºN (Santa Barbara) 83 days 49ºN (Vancouver) 47 days

60 Feather colors Pigments & Structure

61 Pigment Colors Melanins: blk, dull yellow, red & brown Lipochromes
Carotenoids (from diet): red, yellow, orange, violet Porphyrins (derived from hemoglobin): unstable, fade in sunlight; red, green, brown

62 Structural Feather Colors
Interference Scattering

63 Interference produces iridescence

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65 Scattering produces typical blue

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67 Ultraviolet Colors

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69 Digestive system