The occurrence of marine debris in the stomach contents of young male and female Spheniscus magellanicus stranded along the Atlantic coast of northern Argentina during its post-breeding exodus is reported for the first time. Marine debris was found in 15.5 % of 148 dead penguins, with a higher proportion of debris found in females when compared to males.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMercury (Hg) is a great concern for marine environments. Bird feathers have been widely used to assess Hg pollution. In this study, we determine mercury concentrations in body feathers of juvenile Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) from the southeastern sector of Buenos Aires province, Argentina, during a non-breeding season, considering both sexes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInnovation, a process that plays an important role in the ecology and evolution of species, is considered an expression of behavioral flexibility in animals. Here we analyzed innovative problem-solving ability and performance enhancement through learning in the Olrog's Gull (Larus atlanticus), under controlled processes and experimental conditions. Trials were undertaken with nine adult individuals captured at a highly urbanized coastal area of Argentina.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe use of bird feathers to assess environmental contamination has steadily increased in ecotoxicological monitoring programs over the past decade. The Olrog's Gull (Larus atlanticus) is a species endemic to the Atlantic coast of southern South America, constituting one of the three threatened gull species listed in the entire American continent. The aim of this study was to assess the exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and chlorpyrifos in the Near Threatened Olrog's Gull through the analysis of body feathers sampled at the Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon, the main wintering area of the species in Argentina, controlling for sex and age class.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn alternative approach to increase the efficiency of predator control and selectivity is to consider the natural behavioural repertoire of the target species and how such behaviours may increase their vulnerability. Neophobia, or the hesitancy to approach a novel food item, object, or place, is an important factor influencing the investigative behaviour of animals, and its incorporation to predator control techniques may help to reduce losses of livestock to predators. In this study, we simultaneously evaluated the existence and intensity of neophobic responses in two sympatric fox species, the Culpeo (Pseudalopex culpaeus) and the Grey (P.
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