At-sea behavior varies with lunar phase in a nocturnal pelagic seabird, the swallow-tailed gull
PLoS ONE
By: Sebastian M. Cruz, Mevin Hooten, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Carolina B. Proano, David J. Anderson, Vsevolod Afanasyev, and Martin Wikelski
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Abstract
Strong and predictable environmental variability can reward flexible behaviors among animals. We used long-term records of activity data that cover several lunar cycles to investigate whether behavior at-sea of swallow-tailed gulls Creagrus furcatus, a nocturnal pelagic seabird, varied with lunar phase in the Galápagos Islands. A Bayesian hierarchical model showed that nighttime at-sea activity of 37 breeding swallow-tailed gulls was clearly associated with changes in moon phase. Proportion of nighttime spent on water was highest during darker periods of the lunar cycle, coinciding with the cycle of the diel vertical migration (DVM) that brings prey to the sea surface at night. Our data show that at-sea behavior of a tropical seabird can vary with environmental changes, including lunar phase.
Suggested Citation
Cruz, S.M., Hooten, M., Huyvaert, K., Proano, C.B., Anderson, D.J., Afanasyev, V., Wikelski, M., 2013, At-sea behavior varies with lunar phase in a nocturnal pelagic seabird, the swallow-tailed gull: PLoS ONE, v. 8, no. 2, e56889, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0056889.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | At-sea behavior varies with lunar phase in a nocturnal pelagic seabird, the swallow-tailed gull |
| Series title | PLoS ONE |
| DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0056889 |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Publication Date | February 26, 2013 |
| Year Published | 2013 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Public Library of Science |
| Contributing office(s) | Colorado Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit |
| Description | e56889 |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | PLoS ONE |
| Other Geospatial | Gal�pagos Islands |