Stable Isotopes Reveal Primary Flight Feather Moult Patterns of Atlantic Puffins (Fratercula arctica)
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Date
2024-07-04
Authors
Currie, Carolyn
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Abstract
Feathers are essential for bird survival but constantly degrade, requiring regular replacement (i.e., moult). Although necessary, moult is energetically costly and has evolved to be temporally separated from other costly activities, such as breeding. Wing-propelled pursuit divers in the family Alcidae (‘alcids’) have high wing loading (body mass/wing area) and, thus, may become flightless when wing area is reduced during primary feather moult. Different primary moult patterns require different durations to complete, as some extend the moult period while others minimize it. Thus, depending on the moult pattern, it leaves them in a vulnerable state for different lengths of time. As alcids typically moult while offshore, little is known about the flight feather moult patterns of most species, including Atlantic Puffins (Fratercula arctica). This study examined whether the primary flight feather moult pattern of Atlantic Puffins is descendent (slow, sequential replacement of primary feathers from the innermost (P1) to the outermost (P10)) or catastrophic (near-simultaneous replacement of P1-P10) using stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N). Puffin carcasses (n = 25) were collected from James Island, Newfoundland, Canada during August 2020-2022 and differences in isotope ratios between P1-P2 were compared with differences between P1-P5, and P1-P10. A lack of differences in δ13C and δ15N across feather pairs suggest a catastrophic moult pattern; however, higher P1-P10 differences in some birds indicate these individuals may have a descendent moult pattern or may moult half of their primaries before breeding, and half after. These findings increase our understanding of moult patterns in alcids, which is important to understand vulnerable periods associated with primary feather moult.
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feather moult patterns, moult, alcidae, alcids, fratercula arctica, atlantic puffins, stable isotopes, carbon isotopes, nitrogen isotopes