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

GalapagosHumboldtMagellanicGentooRockhopperMacaroni

African

LittleFjordlandSnares IslandErect CrestedRockhopperYellow-eyed

Distribution 2: Antarctic penguins

GentooChinstrap

AdelieEmperor

King*Macaroni*GentooRockhopperRoyal

*Broadly distributed

Focus: Adelie Penguins

•Feeding: Interrelationshi

p 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 albatrossPhoto: K. Haberman

Order Procellariiformes

•Focus: storm petrels Feeding Nesting

Wilson’s storm petrelPhoto: K. Haberman

• Focus: Southern Giant Petrel (defense)

Order Procellariiformes

Southern giant petrelPhoto: K. Haberman

Order Procellariiformes•Focus: prions (feeding)

Fairy prionPhoto: Hadoram Shirihai

Order Pelecaniformes

•Focus: Brown Pelican

Order Pelecaniformes

•Focus: Cormorants

Blue-eyed shagPhotos: K. Haberman

Order Charadriiformes•Focus: Gulls

Kelp gullsPhoto: K Haberman

Order Charadriiformes•Focus: South Polar Skua

South Polar SkuaKorean Antarctic program

Order Charadriiformes•Focus: Puffins

Common puffinPhoto: K Haberman

Order Charadriiformes•Focus: Oregon coastal seabirds

Pigeon guillemotsPhoto: K Haberman

Common murrePhoto: Nick Kontonicolas