Main Ref. | SAUP Database, 2006 |
---|---|
Remarks | Plunge diver; continental shelf; <100 km (Ref. 356). Semi-precocial mode of development. Ground nesting species; in burrows. When spotting a threat, adults give out alarm calls to warn chicks who respond by moving to a nearby hiding place. Displays "group flight" behavior. Vulnerable to oil pollution as a piscivore; saw 50% decline in population from 1989 in Prince William Sound after the Exxon Valdez oil spill (Ref. 87784). Captures and eats prey underwater except food carried to chicks. Tends to forage more offshore in shelf and shelf-edge waters than coastally (Ref. 62201). |
Marine - Neritic | Marine - Oceanic | Brackishwater | Freshwater | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies |
|
|
|
|
Substrate | |
---|---|
Substrate Ref. | |
Special habitats | |
Special habitats Ref. |
Ref. | Schreiber, E.A. and J. Burger, 2001 |
---|---|
Associations | colony-forming/symphorism; |
Associated with | |
Association remarks | Displays "group flight" behavior (ref. 87784). |
Parasitism |
Feeding type | |
---|---|
Feeding type Ref. | |
Feeding habit | |
Feeding habit Ref. |
Estimation method | original sample | unfished population | Remark | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Troph | s.e. | Troph | s.e. | ||
From diet composition | |||||
From individual food items | 4.30 | 0.96 | Trophic level estimated from a number of food items using a randomized resampling routine. | ||
Ref. |