The effect of oceanographic conditions on wintering strategies of Rockhopper penguins Eudyptes chrysocome from two distinct locations: Falkland/Malvinas and Staten Islands

HARRIS, SABRINA; K PÜTZ; B LÜTHI; A RAYA REY

Congreso; international penguin conference; 2019

Premoult foraging is essential for penguins to restore body condition after breeding and to gain enough energy reserves to sustain them during moult. In February/May 2016, a large die?off was observed in moulting Southern Rockhopper penguins Eudyptes chrysocome from the Falkland/Malvinas Islands. In March 2016, twelve adult Rockhopper penguins from East Falkland and sixteen penguins from Staten Island, Argentina, were equipped with satellite transmitters and their dispersal subsequently monitored. Results obtained were compared with tracking data from previous studies in the Falklands/Malvinas (1998,1999 and 2000) and Staten Island (2002 and 2003). In earlier years, penguins from the Falklands/Malvinas usually relied heavily on shelf areas and the shelf break. In 2016, they also travelled to the south and east into the open ocean, when sea surface temperatures (SST) were lower than historic average at both locations. In contrast, penguins from Staten Island migrated south beyond the Polar Front into deeper waters, either remaining to the east of the continent (2003) or moving westwards into the Pacific (2002 and 2016). Thus, Southern Rockhopper Penguins from the Falklands/ Malvinas seem to be more reliant on the productive continental shelf for their winter food supply and are thus more affected by changes in productivity in this region. Staten Island birds appear to behave more dynamically, actively searching for productive areas in the open ocean. Our results confirm that this species is very sensible to changes in SST, particularly in their northern distributional range, which makes them susceptible to global climate change.