Winter dispersal of Magellanic penguins at Martillo Island: movements and trophic ecology

RICCIALDELLI LUCIANA; RAYA REY ANDREA; DODINO SAMANTA; PUTZ KLEMENS; POLITO, MJ

Dunedin

Conferencia; international penguin conference; 2019

The dispersal of penguins during the non-breeding period is a critical time as it has been documented to affect breeding success in the following season and survival. Thus, knowledge of their foraging areas and their trophic niche during this energy-intensive period is crucial to understand their susceptibility to changes in the ecosystem. We recorded the 2017-winter dispersal of Magellanic penguins Spheniscus magellanicus at Martillo Island (Beagle Channel, Argentina) using LAT2900 geolocators. We collected blood samples, representing the diet within the last month, when the penguins arrived at the colony in spring to study their trophic niche using stable isotopes analysis (δ13C and δ15N). In total, 26 adults were equipped after their annual molt, of which 24 (survival 92%) were re-captured. However, only 20 were still equipped with devices and only 9 datasets could be recovered successfully. Following equipment, penguins headed north and travelled along the Patagonian coast up to the south of Buenos Aires (