The Azores holds the largest population of Cory's shearwater (Cory, 1881) (Aves, Procellariiformes) in the world. Apart from a few mammal-free islets, the bulk of the population breeds in coastal areas on the main human-inhabited islands, where several non-native predators have been introduced. Throughout the entire year of the 2019 breeding season, we used motion-triggered cameras and regularly visited three colonies of Cory's shearwater to identify nest predators and the factors affecting nest predation. A total of 292,624 photos were obtained, of which 97.7% were of Cory's shearwaters, 1.7% of non-target species (e.g. other birds, rabbits) and 0.52% of potential predators. Of the monitored nests, 25.7% were predated (n = 9), mainly by black rats (n = 8), but also by cats (n = 1). The relative abundance of black rats in the nests was the main factor explaining nest mortality. This variable was significantly and negatively related with the daily survival rate of Cory's shearwater nestlings. Identification of the main nest predators is crucial for the management and conservation of native bird populations, particularly on oceanic islands, which harbour an important number of threatened and endemic species.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.11.e112871 | DOI Listing |
Mar Pollut Bull
December 2024
Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN), CSIC, Madrid, Spain; Canary Islands' Ornithology and Natural History Group (GOHNIC), Buenavista del Norte, Canary Islands, Spain. Electronic address:
Marine plastic pollution is an emerging global threat for biodiversity. Plastic ingestion is one of the most typical and studied consequences with petrels being a particularly vulnerable group. We studied the plastic ingestion by Cory's shearwater (Calonectris borealis) fledglings in three islands of the Canarian Archipelago (Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMar Environ Res
December 2024
University of Coimbra, MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre / ARNET - Aquatic Research Network, Department of Life Sciences, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal.
Animals (Basel)
October 2024
Department of Morphology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Trasmontaña, Arucas, 35413 Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain.
We conducted a detailed examination of the anterior cranial region of Cory's Shearwater (, employing cutting-edge imaging techniques and computed tomography (CT). The fusion of CT images with anatomical cross-sectional data played a pivotal role in providing a thorough depiction of the components constituting the anterior cranial region of this species. The explication of these structures holds significant potential as an essential procedure for the prognosis and management of diverse pathologies impacting the nasal cavity of Cory's Shearwater.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Exp Biol
October 2024
Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN), CSIC, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
Seabirds, and particularly fledglings of burrow-nesting species, are greatly impacted by light pollution. During their inaugural flights from colony to sea, fledglings become grounded after encountering artificial light. Such groundings, or fallout events, affect many fledglings each year, causing mass mortality events.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnimals (Basel)
July 2024
Department of Morphology, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Trasmontaña, Arucas, 35413 Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain.
Cory's shearwater, or , stands out as a symbolic figure in the world of seabirds, playing a crucial role in marine ecosystems globally. Belonging to the Procellariidae family, it is singularized by its imposing wingspan and intricate migration patterns connecting it to various regions from the North Atlantic to the Pacific. Its role in the marine food chain, specialized diet and adaptation for nesting in the Canary Archipelago underscore its ecological importance.
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