The great auk, now almost forgotten in the world by all except the ornithologists, is still remembered among the Penobscot as one of the legendary bird chiefs. While we may hesitate a moment in believing the strict identity of this now-extinct bird with the hero character in one of the creation tales, it nevertheless seems […]
Category: Alcidae
Bird stories, Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle)
The Hudson Bay Eskimos tell their boys and girls when they see the funny little guillemots by the sea-cliffs and ask about them, that once a lot of children were playing near the brink of such a cliff. Their noisy shouts disturbed a band of seal-hunters on the beach below, and one of the men […]
Monitoring Black Guillemot population and nesting success at Herschel Island, Yukon Territory ? 2005
Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle) Science Article 7 abstract The Black Guillemot colony at Pauline Cove on Herschel Island is the only one in the Yukon Territory, and one of the few in the western Arctic. This colony has been monitored for population and nesting success since about 1984. The nearest Black Guillemot nesting colony to […]
TUFTED PUFFINS (FRATERCULA CIRRHATA) RESPOND TOPREDATION DANGER DURING COLONY APPROACH FLIGHTS
Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) Science Article 2 abstract In spite of their putative importance in the evolution of certain traits (e.g., nocturnality, coloniality, cliff nesting), the effects of aerial predators on behaviorof adult seabirds at colonies have been poorly investigated. We hypothesized that Tufted Puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) respond to danger posed by aerial predators by […]
Ornaments and overflight behaviour of Tufted Puffins (Fraterculacirrhata) breeding on Triangle Island, British Columbia.
Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) Science Article 3 abstract Tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) are unusual among seabirds in that they bearmultiple colourful ornaments during the breeding season. They also engage in colony overflights when approaching the colony with food for their chicks. Blackburn, G., Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC. 74 pp Download article download full text […]
Nestling growth and parental provisioning of Tufted Puffins (Fratercula cirrhala) on Triangle Island, British Columbia
Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) Science Article 1 abstract I studied the reproductive performance of tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) on TriangleIsland, British Columbia during two years when reproduction was successful. Completereproductive failures are common for this population. I report on the timing of breeding, nestling growth, fledging behaviour, nestling diet, and parental provisioning, and discuss the […]
Distribution of Murres outside the Breeding Season
Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia) Science Article 1 abstract The main purpose of this document is to propose a coordinated international banding plan for Thick-billed Murres and Common Murres. Banding is an essential tool for describing with mapping the winter distribution of different murre populations, identifying overlapping distributions, determining the timing of migration, and ascertaining impacts […]
Thick-billed Murres Uria lomvia replace mates during breeding
Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia) Science Article 2 abstract Among most seabirds, including murres Uria spp., the breeding pair take turns incubating the eggs and feeding and brooding the nestlings (Lack 1968, Gaston 2004). This collaboration is usually critical to the rearing of the chick. Consequently, the death or disablement of one parent during breeding may […]
Age at First Return and Breeding of Razorbills (Alca torda)on theGannet Islands, Labrador and Machias Seal Island, New Brunswick
Razorbill (Alca torda) Science Article 11 abstract Resightings of Razorbills (Alca torda) banded as chicks on the Gannet Islands, Labrador (N = 1,873resightings of 638 individuals) and Machias Seal Island, New Brunswick JENNIFER L. LAVERS, Waterbirds 31(1): 30-34, 2008 Download article download full text (pdf)
Sexing Razorbills Alca torda breeding at Machias Seal Island, New Brunswick, Canada, using discriminant function analysis.
Razorbill (Alca torda) Science Article 5 abstract In 2000 and 2001, we determined the sex of 80 adult Razorbills Alca torda caught on Machias Seal Island, New Brunswick, Canada, 71 birds in 2000 and 9 in 2001. Sex was determined for the 2000 birds using DNA from feathers, and for the 2001 captures using behavioural […]