Maximum diving depths of the Magellanic penguin

SCOLARO A; SUBURO AM

JOURNAL OF FIELD ORNITHOLOGY

Northeastern Bird-Banding Association,

Lugar: EEUU; Año: 1991 vol. 62 p. 204 - 210

0273-8570

Timing and duration of foraging trips, and maximum diving depths were recordedin Magellanic Penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) during the chick-rearing stage attwo breeding colonies in Argentina. Measures were taken with capillary depth gauges madefrom plastic tubing containing an inner layer of soluble indicator powder. Most penguinsreturned to their nests at dusk and during the night. At the San Lorenzo colony, penguinsdove to a maximum depth of 90 m, with a modal maximum depth of 68 m. Penguins atPunta Loberia dove to a maximum depth of 80 m, with a modal maximum depth of 42 m.Whereas at San Lorenzo all the dives were deeper than 20 m, 35.50/0 of the dives fromPunta Loberia did not reach 20 m. Diving patterns of the Magellanic Penguin followedthe behavior of its main prey, Anchovy (Engraulis anchoita), and were also correlated withthe topography of the sea shelf surrounding each breeding colony.