Marine Birds Marine Vertebrates: Lecture 6

Amniote relationships

Birds vs. other reptiles Feathered wings (airfoils) Honeycombed bones (hollow spaces) Reduction of organs  Females have one ovary Absence of teeth Endothermic  Higher metabolic rates needed for flight Respiration: efficient, one-way flow Circulation: four-chambered heart Acute visual systems  Coordination of flight

What defines a marine bird (or “seabird”)?

Osmotic balance: seabirds Acquiring water  Diet How would a diet of Osteichthyes promote osmotic balance? What about an invertebrate diet?  Drink Marine birds do not require fresh water –May drink if available Actively avoid drinking seawater Mechanisms for water expulsion? –Penguin regurgitate example  Metabolically-produced water (e- transport)

Osmotic balance: seabirds Water loss  Skin  Sweat glands  Exhalation  Able to control? Excretion of water and ions  Kidneys Long/densely-packed “Loops of Henle”  Intestines (no role)  Salt glands (supraorbital, NaCl, 2X seawater)

Thermoregulation How does the thermal climate of seabirds compare to terrestrial birds?  Tropical  Polar Fat and feathers Special oils BMR

Sensory systems Vision Odor

Seabird Orders Sphenisciformes  Penguins! Pelicaniformes  Pelicans, frigatebirds, gannets, boobies, cormorants Procellariformes  Albatrosses, petrels, storm-petrels, fulmars, shearwaters Charadriiformes  Gulls, skuas, jaegers, auks, guillemots, puffins

Focus: Sphenisciformes Anatomical adaptations for diving  Bones  Hindlimbs  Forelimbs  Air sacs  Feathers  Carotid arteries  Size and diving

Penguins: Distribution 1 Galapagos Humboldt Magellanic Gentoo Rockhopper Macaroni African Little Fjordland Snares Island Erect Crested Rockhopper Yellow-eyed

Distribution 2: Antarctic penguins Gentoo Chinstrap Adelie Emperor King* Macaroni* Gentoo Rockhopper Royal *Broadly distributed

Focus: Adelie Penguins Feeding:  Interrelationship of ice, phytoplantkon, krill and penguins Breeding Adelies and global climate

Focus: Emperor Penguins Feeding Breeding  Comparison with Adelies Decline and global climate

Order Procellariiformes Overview  The tubenose… Focus: Albatrosses  General  Feeding  Foraging  Flight Black-browed albatross Photo: K. Haberman

Order Procellariiformes Focus: storm petrels  Feeding  Nesting Wilson’s storm petrel Photo: K. Haberman

Focus: Southern Giant Petrel (defense) Order Procellariiformes Southern giant petrel Photo: K. Haberman

Order Procellariiformes Focus: prions (feeding) Fairy prion Photo: Hadoram Shirihai

Order Pelecaniformes Focus: Brown Pelican

Order Pelecaniformes Focus: Cormorants Blue-eyed shag Photos: K. Haberman

Order Charadriiformes Focus: Gulls Kelp gulls Photo: K Haberman

Order Charadriiformes Focus: South Polar Skua South Polar Skua Korean Antarctic program

Order Charadriiformes Focus: Puffins Common puffin Photo: K Haberman

Order Charadriiformes Focus: Oregon coastal seabirds Pigeon guillemots Photo: K Haberman Common murre Photo: Nick Kontonicolas