ABSTRACT With the development and implementation of tracking technology, we are now able to monitor the foraging behaviour of seabirds while at sea. Time-Depth Recorders (TDRs) were fitted to Hutton's shearwaters (Puffinus huttoni), an endangered endemic New Zealand species, to measure how diving behaviour varies over the breeding cycle. Hutton's shearwaters (∼350 g) dive up to 339 times per day (average 68.8) at depths to 35 m (average 5.6 m), and for periods up to 60 s (average 19.2 s). Incubating birds dived deeper than birds feeding chicks, and a significant difference in diving depth and dive duration were detected at different times of the day. Neither dive frequency nor dive duration differed significantly between years, but there was some annual variation in dive depths. The temporal variation we observed in the diving behaviour of Hutton's shearwaters suggests they are likely to exploit different types of pelagic prey at different stages in their breeding cycle. With on-going changes in the marine environment, monitoring changes in feeding behaviour using TDRs may provide a way to assess environmental change and improve the conservation of this species.

中文翻译：

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赫顿海鸥（Puffinus huttoni）潜水行为的季节性和年度变化

摘要随着跟踪技术的发展和实施，我们现在能够监测海鸟在海上的觅食行为。时间深度记录仪 (TDR) 安装在新西兰濒临灭绝的地方性物种赫顿鹬 (Puffinus huttoni) 上，以测量潜水行为在繁殖周期中的变化情况。Hutton 的剪水动物（~350 g）每天在 35 m（平均 5.6 m）的深度下潜多达 339 次（平均 68.8 次），潜水时间长达 60 秒（平均 19.2 秒）。孵化鸟类比喂养雏鸟的鸟类潜水更深，并且在一天中的不同时间检测到潜水深度和潜水持续时间存在显着差异。潜水频率和潜水持续时间在年份之间没有显着差异，但潜水深度每年都有一些变化。我们观察到的赫顿海鸥潜水行为的时间变化表明，它们很可能在繁殖周期的不同阶段利用不同类型的远洋猎物。随着海洋环境的不断变化，使用 TDR 监测摄食行为的变化可能提供一种评估环境变化和改善该物种保护的方法。