Tube-nosed pelagic seabirds Feathers & Molt Order of the Day Procellariiformes 4 families, 112 species Tube-nosed pelagic seabirds All lay a single egg Waved Albatross pair

Diomedeidae – Albatrosses 24 species Short-tailed Albatross

Waved Albatross

Procellariidae Shearwaters, petrels & fulmars All oceans 76 species Largest petrel, the Giant Petrel, is as big as an albatross Large species nest in the open Small species in “burrows”

Southern Giant Petrel

Giant Petrel chick – gack!

Antarctic Petrel with chick Antarctic Fulmar with chick

Snow Petrel Boat-billed Prion

Wilson’s Storm Petrel – Hydrobatidae (21 species)

DIVING-PETRELS Pelecanoididae 4 species

South Georgia Diving Petrel

Human predation Drift-net fishing Long-line fishing Pollution Introduced predators Habitat degradation

Items regurgitated by Laysan Albatross on Midway Island Wandering Albatross caught in tuna long-line, eastern Australia

Summary Pelagic seabirds of global distribution Tubular nostrils & keen sense of smell Most species feed on sea surface All species lay a single egg Both parents & young “gack” their enemies Penguins & “petrels” are close relatives

Gill is encyclopedic!

Six functions of feathers Flight Insulation Camouflage Sexual display Buoyancy Nest building material

Mature feathers are: Dead Composed of beta keratin Weigh 2-3 x more than the skeleton Replaced at least once per year

Contour or vane feather

Aquatic species preen up to 17 times a day

Uropygial (preen) gland

Preen gland Fatty acids, fats & waxes Waterproofs and protects beaks, feathers, claws and scales 7-dehydrocholesterol > vitamin D

Six feather types Vane or contour Down Semiplume Filoplume Bristle Powder down

Ground Dove Filoplume

Powder down Species that lack preen glands Ratites, herons, parrots, pigeons, and woodpeckers among others Scattered diffusely throughout plumage in hawks and parrots, as patches in herons

Feather distribution

Remiges (singular Remex) Wing flight feathers 9 some passerines 11 many nonpasserines 12 grebes Hummers 6, albatrosses 40

Feather tracts -- pterylae

Except penguins, ratites, screamers & colies

Bigger birds have more feathers Species No. feathers Ruby-throated Hummingbird 940 Song Sparrow 2,000 Barred Owl 9,206 Whistling Swan 25,216

Molt Speed, pattern & number/year variable Typically adults replace all or most of their feathers once/yr, usually immediately after breeding Most molt & breed at different times Thyroid involved in molt, perhaps gonads

Molt Sequences Basic = winter Alternate = nuptial (camouflage) (the alter)

Nuptial or Alternate plumage Winter or Basic plumage

Eclipse Plumage Northern Shoveler

Snow Bunting Breeding plumage of summer males is not a separate plumage but just the worn winter plumage. Typical of many passerines. Breeding plumage of summer males is not a separate plumage but just the worn winter plumage. Typical of many passerines.

Summer Tanager, female

Summer Tanager, 1st year male

Summer Tanager, 2nd year male

Summer Tanager, adult male

Little Gull

Centrifugal molt Thyroid controls molt

Prebasic molt duration decreases 1 hr per mile northward (2 Prebasic molt duration decreases 1 hr per mile northward (2.6 days per degree Lat.) 35ºN (Santa Barbara) 83 days 49ºN (Vancouver) 47 days

Feather colors Pigments & Structure

Pigment Colors Melanins: blk, dull yellow, red & brown Lipochromes Carotenoids (from diet): red, yellow, orange, violet Porphyrins (derived from hemoglobin): unstable, fade in sunlight; red, green, brown

Structural Feather Colors Interference Scattering

Interference produces iridescence

Scattering produces typical blue

Ultraviolet Colors

Digestive system