Cleptoparsitismo intra e interespecífico en una colonia mixta de gaviotines real (Sterna maxima) y de pico amarillo (S. eurygnatha)

QUINTANA, F.; YORIO, P.

El Hornero

Año: 1997 vol. 14 p. 45 - 48

<!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:ES-TRAD;} p.MsoList2, li.MsoList2, div.MsoList2 {margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:0cm; margin-left:28.3pt; margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-indent:-14.15pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:ES-TRAD;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:70.85pt 3.0cm 70.85pt 3.0cm; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> Within seabirds, terns are frequently affected by food robbing. We document the occurrence of kleptoparasitism at a mixed-species colony of Royal (Sterna maxima) and Cayenne (S. eurygnatha) terns at Punta León, Chubut. In two seasons we observed both inter- and intra-specific food robbing by adult terns. The amount of food lost to  pirates was relatively low, only 2& of prey brought back by the terns (n=1127). Intra-specific food robbing was higher than inter-specific kleptoparasitism in the Royal Tern and similar in the Cayenne Tern. The percentage of food lost to pirates in the colony (2.1%, n = 921) was similar than in groups of tern chicks at the beach (2.4%, n = 206). Kleptoparasitism between terns at Punta León appears to be of little importance with respect to its effects on both tern populations.