ABSTRACT: In long-lived marine predators such as penguins, foraging behaviour is related to breeding success. Yellow-eyed penguins Megadyptes antipodes are thought to be predominantly benthic foragers around mainland New Zealand, with previous dive studies showing little variation in diving behaviour and minimal change by year or breeding status. This apparent absence of foraging flexibility may be linked to local prey availability and therefore also to foraging success, factors believed to contribute to the current population decline. Here, we undertook the first detailed study of yellow-eyed penguin diving and foraging behaviour in the subantarctic Auckland Islands, part of the original ancestral range of the species that colonised mainland New Zealand. We collected dive logs from 134 foraging trips made by 73 breeders from Enderby Island, Auckland Islands, in the New Zealand subantarctic. Pelagic dives and foraging trips were recorded in the subantarctic population—a foraging strategy not previously published in dive studies on this species. Changes between benthic and pelagic foraging were recorded for individuals within foraging trips, within a breeding season, and between years. Differences in diving behaviour between the subantarctic and that reported for mainland New Zealand are likely influenced by local bathymetry and environmental conditions, and prey availability. However, the subantarctic population shows a greater use of pelagic foraging not evident in the northern population, even in areas that have a similar depth to some mainland foraging areas. This observed foraging flexibility may have implications for breeding success and potentially the long-term population trends of these 2 genetically similar populations.

中文翻译：

---

在濒临灭绝的海洋捕食者黄眼企鹅Megadyptes对虾的祖传范围内潜水可塑性

摘要：在长寿命海洋捕食者（如企鹅）中，觅食行为与繁殖成功有关。黄眼企鹅巨型对映体被认为是新西兰大陆各地的底栖觅食者，以前的潜水研究表明，潜水行为几乎没有变化，而且按年份或繁殖状况的变化很小。这种明显缺乏觅食灵活性的现象可能与当地猎物的可获得性有关，因此也与觅食的成功有关，这被认为是造成当前人口减少的因素。在这里，我们进行了第一个详细研究，在亚南极的奥克兰群岛进行黄眼企鹅的潜水和觅食行为，这是在新西兰大陆定殖的原始祖先范围的一部分。我们收集了来自亚南极洲奥克兰群岛恩德比岛的73个育种者进行的134次觅食旅行的潜水日志。在南极亚种群中记录了远洋潜水和觅食旅行，这是以前尚未在该物种的潜水研究中公布的觅食策略。记录了觅食旅行中，繁殖季节内以及年份之间个体底栖和上层觅食之间的变化。亚极山脉和新西兰大陆报道的南极之间的潜水行为差异可能受当地测深法和环境条件以及猎物可用性的影响。但是，南极亚种群显示出更多的中上层觅食用途，在北部种群中并不明显，即使在深度与某些大陆觅食区相似的地区也是如此。这种观察到的觅食灵活性可能对育种成功以及这两个遗传相似的种群的长期种群趋势有影响。