Aussie Sea Birds Flashcards
Define “seabirds”
birds adapted to marine environment and feed in salt water
Convergent evolution of seabirds is due to
similarity of feeding niches
When did they evolve? When did modern ones evolve?
Cretaceous| Palaeogene
Adaptation to sea water
salt glands - ability to drink seawater
Adaptation to long time without land
wind morphology (soaring) - long, narrow, low-set wingswaterproof feathers (plumage)
Describe attributes of surface feeding
while flying (storm petrels, noddy terns)while swimming (gulls, shearwaters)
Two types of diving feeding
Plunge diving ( boobies, gannets, tropic birds)Pursuit Diving ( cormorants, shearwaters, some albatross)
What is Kleptoparasitism? (firgate birds)
“parisitism by theft”| -birds harass other birds so much they vomit food and eat the vomit
How do birds scavenge?
By eating insides/extras of already eaten animals that float on the surface or eat young chicks
Describe the diet of seabirds
schooling fishlarval/juvenile fishflying fish
What is a main marine competitor of seabirds?
larger predatory fish or mammals
Describe attributes of seabird reproduction (mating, nesting, nurturing young)
- mating rituals- colony breeding/nesting on ground- few,large eggs- young usually left to learn to fly
What kind of trophic trend doe the seabirds help set
Top down control of fish populations
What is a Pisonia grandis? What is its relationship to seabirds?
A type of tropic tree restricted to small islands with large bird populations-Birds use this tree (black noddies top and shearwaters bottom) for “pit stops” or live there and they provide “fertilizer” for the trees (especially for germination and early development)
How do Pisonia disperse seeds?
they have thick, sticky seeds that stick onto the feathers of the birds (sometimes too many stick on and kill the bird :[ )
