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USGS · 70184506

Habitat use, diet and breeding biology of tufted puffins in Prince William Sound, Alaska

John F. Piatt·Daniel D. Roby·Laird A. Henkel·Kriss Neumann
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Abstract

Habitat use, diet and breeding biology of tufted puffins ( Fratercula cirrhata ) were studied in Prince William Sound, Alaska, during summer 1995. On Seal Island, 112 puffin burrows (71% active) were located. Of 95 accessible burrows, 49% were typical earthen burrows, whereas the remainder were atypical for the species (e.g., under tree roots). Hatching success (≤79%), fledging success (≥82%), chick growth rates (17.7 g/day), asymptotic (600 g) and fledging (563 g) weights, meal sizes (14.2 g), meal delivery rates (5.32 meals/day), and daily rations (75.5 g/day) were all average or above-average for tufted puffins in Alaska. A total of 42 chick meals, comprising 125 individual prey were collected. Meals were composed of juvenile pollock (12.7% of total mass), herring (21.8%), prowfish (32.3%), salmonids (24.1%), and capelin, sandlance and squid (<5% each). Tufted puffin populations in Prince William Sound are relatively small, and may be limited by low densities of prey in the Sound, nest-site availability, and heavy rainfall.

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John F. Piatt, Daniel D. Roby, Laird A. Henkel, Kriss Neumann. 1997. Habitat use, diet and breeding biology of tufted puffins in Prince William Sound, Alaska. https://doi.org/10.2307/3536864

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