The Imperial Shag (Phalacrocorax atriceps) in the Nahuel Huapi Lake (northwestern Patagonia, Argentina): distribution, abundance, and potential threats from scavenging birds

Martín G. Frixione

doi:10.56178/eh.v25i2.700

Articles Published 01 December 2010 https://doi.org/10.56178/eh.v25i2.700

The Imperial Shag (Phalacrocorax atriceps) in the Nahuel Huapi Lake (northwestern Patagonia, Argentina): distribution, abundance, and potential threats from scavenging birds

breeding disruption Coragyps atratus garbage Larus dominicanus Nahuel Huapi Phalacrocorax atriceps

Martín G. Frixione Universidad Nac. de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco. Brown 3700, U9120ACX Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina

Abstract

We describe the distribution and breeding abundance of the Imperial Shag (Phalacrocorax atriceps) in the northern portion of the Nahuel Huapi Lake (northwestern Patagonia, Argentina) during the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 reproductive seasons. We recorded low population numbers and null breeding success in both seasons. Attacks from several scavenging birds were recorded, and breeding activities were interrupted abruptly. Future studies should consider the potential threats from scavenging birds, subsidized by urban garbage dumps, over this freshwater shag.

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References

AUMAN HJ, MEATHREL CE AND RICHARDSON A (2008)Supersize me: does anthropogenic food change thebody condition of Silver Gulls? A comparisonbetween urbanized and remote, non-urbanizedareas. Waterbirds 31:122–126
BERTELLOTTI M AND YORIO P (1999) Spatial andtemporal patterns in the diet of the Kelp gull innorthern Chubut, Patagonia. Condor 101:790–798
BRANCO JO (2003) Reprodução das aves marinhas nasilhas costeiras de Santa Catarina, Brasil. RevistaBrasileira de Zoologia 20:619–623
BUTLER RW, LEMON M AND RODWAY M (1985) North-western crows in a Rhinoceros Auklet colony:predators and scavengers. Murrelet 66:86–90
CASAUX R, BERTOLIN ML, TARTARA MA, ALARCÓN P ANDPORRO G (2010) The unexpected diet of breedingImperial Shags (Phalacrocorax atriceps) at the NahuelHuapi Lake, Patagonia: implications on populationtrends? Ornitología Neotropical 21:457–462
CHEHÉBAR C AND RAMILO E (1989) Fauna del ParqueNacional Nahuel Huapi. Administración de ParquesNacionales, San Carlos de Bariloche
DANTAS GPM AND MORGANTE JS (2010) Breeding biol-ogy of Kelp Gulls on the Brazilian coast. Wilson Jour-nal of Ornithology 122:39–45
DUBERSTEIN JN, JIMÉNEZ-SERRANÍA V, PFISTER TA,LINDQUIST KE AND MELTZER L (2005) Breeding Dou-ble-Crested Cormorants and wading birds on IslaAlcatraz, Sonora, México. Pp. 166–168 in: RALPH CJAND RICH TD (ed) Bird conservation implementationand integration in the Americas: proceedings of the ThirdInternational Partners in Flight Conference. 2002 March20–24; Asilomar, California. Volume 1. USDA ForestService General Technical Report PSW-GTR-191,Albany
DUFFY DC (1995) Why is the double crested-cormo-rant a problem? Insights from cormorant ecologyand human sociology. Colonial Waterbirds 18:25–32FRID A AND DILL L (2002) Human-caused disturbancestimuli as a form of predation risk. ConservationEcology 6:11
FRIXIONE M (2009) Composición dietaria de la GaviotaCocinera (Larus dominicanus) durante la temporadareproductiva en el norte del Lago Nahuel Huapi.Graduate thesis, Universidad Nacional de laPatagonia San Juan Bosco, Puerto Madryn
HOCKING D, OUNSTED M, GORMAN M, HILL D, KELLERV AND BARKER MA (1992) Examination of the effectsof disturbance on birds with reference to its impor-tance in ecological assessments. Journal of Environ-mental Management 36:253–286
NAVA S JR (1970) La identidad de los cormoranes delLago Nahuel Huapi (Aves, Phalacrocoracidae).Neotropica 16:140–144
NELSON JB (2005) Pelicans, cormorants and their relatives.Oxford University Press, Oxford
QUINTANA F AND YORIO P (1998) Kelp Gull Larusdominicanus predation on an Imperial CormorantPhalacrocorax atriceps colony in Patagonia. MarineOrnithology 26:84–85
RASMUSSEN PC, HUMPHREYS PS AND MUÑIZ-SAAVEDRAJ (1992) Imperial Shags and other birds of the LagoGeneral Vintter area, Chubut Province, Argentina.Occasional Papers of the Natural History Museum, Uni-versity of Kansas 146:1–16
RASMUSSEN PC, IGLESIAS GJ, HUMPHREY PS AND RAMILOE (1993) Poblaciones, hábitos alimenticios, y com-portamiento postreproductivo del CormoránImperial del Lago Nahuel Huapi, Argentina.Occasional Papers of the Natural History Museum,University of Kansas 158:1–17
REYNOLDS PW (1934) Apuntes sobre aves de Tierradel Fuego. Hornero 5:339–353
SANZ AGUILAR A, MARTÍNEZ ABRAÍN A, TAVECCHIA G,MINGUEZ E AND ORO D (2008) Evidence basedculling of a facultative predator: efficacy andefficiency components. Biological Conservation42:424–431
SPEAR LB (1993) Dynamics and effect of western gullsfeeding in a colony of guillemots and Brandt’s cor-morants. Journal of Animal Ecology 62:399–414
VILLAROSA G, OUTES V, GÓMEZ EA, CHAPRON E ANDARIZTEGUI D (2009) Origen del tsunami de mayo de1960 en el Lago Nahuel Huapi, Patagonia: aplicaciónde técnicas batimétricas y sísmicas de alta resolución.Revista de la Asociación Geológica Argentina 65:593–597
WEISER EL AND POWELL AN (2010) Does garbage inthe diet improve reproductive output of GlaucousGulls? Condor 112:530–538
WILLIAMS JA AND WARD VL (2006) Sacred Ibis and GrayHeron predation of Cape Cormorant eggs andchicks; and a review of Ciconiiform birds as seabirdpredators. Waterbirds 29:321–327
YORIO P, BERTELLOTTI M, GANDINI P AND FRERE P (1994)Kelp gulls (Larus dominicanus) breeding on theArgentine coast: population status and a review ofits relationship with coastal management and con-servation. Marine Ornithology 26:11–18
YORIO P AND QUINTANA F (1996) Effects of human dis-turbance on a mixed-species seabird colony inPatagonia. Hornero 14:89–96
YORIO P AND QUINTANA F (1997) Predation by KelpGulls Larus dominicanus at a mixed-species colonyof Royal Terns Sterna maxima and Cayenne Terns S.eurygnatha in Patagonia. Ibis 139:536–541

How to cite

Martín G. Frixione (2010). The Imperial Shag (Phalacrocorax atriceps) in the Nahuel Huapi Lake (northwestern Patagonia, Argentina): distribution, abundance, and potential threats from scavenging birds. El Hornero, Vol. 25 No. 2 (2010), 61-65. https://doi.org/10.56178/eh.v25i2.700

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[1] AUMAN HJ, MEATHREL CE AND RICHARDSON A (2008)Supersize me: does anthropogenic food change thebody condition of Silver Gulls? A comparisonbetween urbanized and remote, non-urbanizedareas. Waterbirds 31:122–126

[2] BERTELLOTTI M AND YORIO P (1999) Spatial andtemporal patterns in the diet of the Kelp gull innorthern Chubut, Patagonia. Condor 101:790–798

[3] BRANCO JO (2003) Reprodução das aves marinhas nasilhas costeiras de Santa Catarina, Brasil. RevistaBrasileira de Zoologia 20:619–623

[4] BUTLER RW, LEMON M AND RODWAY M (1985) North-western crows in a Rhinoceros Auklet colony:predators and scavengers. Murrelet 66:86–90

[5] CASAUX R, BERTOLIN ML, TARTARA MA, ALARCÓN P ANDPORRO G (2010) The unexpected diet of breedingImperial Shags (Phalacrocorax atriceps) at the NahuelHuapi Lake, Patagonia: implications on populationtrends? Ornitología Neotropical 21:457–462

[6] CHEHÉBAR C AND RAMILO E (1989) Fauna del ParqueNacional Nahuel Huapi. Administración de ParquesNacionales, San Carlos de Bariloche

[7] DANTAS GPM AND MORGANTE JS (2010) Breeding biol-ogy of Kelp Gulls on the Brazilian coast. Wilson Jour-nal of Ornithology 122:39–45

[8] DUBERSTEIN JN, JIMÉNEZ-SERRANÍA V, PFISTER TA,LINDQUIST KE AND MELTZER L (2005) Breeding Dou-ble-Crested Cormorants and wading birds on IslaAlcatraz, Sonora, México. Pp. 166–168 in: RALPH CJAND RICH TD (ed) Bird conservation implementationand integration in the Americas: proceedings of the ThirdInternational Partners in Flight Conference. 2002 March20–24; Asilomar, California. Volume 1. USDA ForestService General Technical Report PSW-GTR-191,Albany

[9] DUFFY DC (1995) Why is the double crested-cormo-rant a problem? Insights from cormorant ecologyand human sociology. Colonial Waterbirds 18:25–32FRID A AND DILL L (2002) Human-caused disturbancestimuli as a form of predation risk. ConservationEcology 6:11

[10] FRIXIONE M (2009) Composición dietaria de la GaviotaCocinera (Larus dominicanus) durante la temporadareproductiva en el norte del Lago Nahuel Huapi.Graduate thesis, Universidad Nacional de laPatagonia San Juan Bosco, Puerto Madryn

[11] HOCKING D, OUNSTED M, GORMAN M, HILL D, KELLERV AND BARKER MA (1992) Examination of the effectsof disturbance on birds with reference to its impor-tance in ecological assessments. Journal of Environ-mental Management 36:253–286

[12] NAVA S JR (1970) La identidad de los cormoranes delLago Nahuel Huapi (Aves, Phalacrocoracidae).Neotropica 16:140–144

[13] NELSON JB (2005) Pelicans, cormorants and their relatives.Oxford University Press, Oxford

[14] QUINTANA F AND YORIO P (1998) Kelp Gull Larusdominicanus predation on an Imperial CormorantPhalacrocorax atriceps colony in Patagonia. MarineOrnithology 26:84–85

[15] RASMUSSEN PC, HUMPHREYS PS AND MUÑIZ-SAAVEDRAJ (1992) Imperial Shags and other birds of the LagoGeneral Vintter area, Chubut Province, Argentina.Occasional Papers of the Natural History Museum, Uni-versity of Kansas 146:1–16

[16] RASMUSSEN PC, IGLESIAS GJ, HUMPHREY PS AND RAMILOE (1993) Poblaciones, hábitos alimenticios, y com-portamiento postreproductivo del CormoránImperial del Lago Nahuel Huapi, Argentina.Occasional Papers of the Natural History Museum,University of Kansas 158:1–17

[17] REYNOLDS PW (1934) Apuntes sobre aves de Tierradel Fuego. Hornero 5:339–353

[18] SANZ AGUILAR A, MARTÍNEZ ABRAÍN A, TAVECCHIA G,MINGUEZ E AND ORO D (2008) Evidence basedculling of a facultative predator: efficacy andefficiency components. Biological Conservation42:424–431

[19] SPEAR LB (1993) Dynamics and effect of western gullsfeeding in a colony of guillemots and Brandt’s cor-morants. Journal of Animal Ecology 62:399–414

[20] VILLAROSA G, OUTES V, GÓMEZ EA, CHAPRON E ANDARIZTEGUI D (2009) Origen del tsunami de mayo de1960 en el Lago Nahuel Huapi, Patagonia: aplicaciónde técnicas batimétricas y sísmicas de alta resolución.Revista de la Asociación Geológica Argentina 65:593–597

[21] WEISER EL AND POWELL AN (2010) Does garbage inthe diet improve reproductive output of GlaucousGulls? Condor 112:530–538

[22] WILLIAMS JA AND WARD VL (2006) Sacred Ibis and GrayHeron predation of Cape Cormorant eggs andchicks; and a review of Ciconiiform birds as seabirdpredators. Waterbirds 29:321–327

[23] YORIO P, BERTELLOTTI M, GANDINI P AND FRERE P (1994)Kelp gulls (Larus dominicanus) breeding on theArgentine coast: population status and a review ofits relationship with coastal management and con-servation. Marine Ornithology 26:11–18

[24] YORIO P AND QUINTANA F (1996) Effects of human dis-turbance on a mixed-species seabird colony inPatagonia. Hornero 14:89–96

[25] YORIO P AND QUINTANA F (1997) Predation by KelpGulls Larus dominicanus at a mixed-species colonyof Royal Terns Sterna maxima and Cayenne Terns S.eurygnatha in Patagonia. Ibis 139:536–541