Corticosterone and stable isotopes in feathers predict egg size in Atlantic Puffins Fratercula arctica

Diving Behavior and Identification of Sex of Breeding Atlantic Puffins (Fratercula arctica), and Nest-Site Characteristics of Alcids on Petit Manan Island, Maine

Anatomy and histochemistry of flight muscles in a wing-propelled diving bird, the Atlantic puffin, Fratercula arctica.

Twenty-three species within the avian family Alcidae are capable of wing-propelled flight in the air and underwater. Alcids have been viewed as Northern Hemisphere parallels to penguins, and have often been studied to see if their underwater flight comes at a cost, compromising their aerial flying ability. We examined the anatomy and histochemistry of select wing muscles (Mm. pectoralis, suprac...

First Record of Alcataenia larina larina (Cestoda: Dilepididae) in Atlantic Puffins (Aves, Alcidae, Fratercula arctica) from Newfoundland, Canada

The tapeworm Alcataenia larina (Cestoda: Cyclophyllidea: Dilepididae) is a parasite of gulls (Laridae) with a Holarctic distribution in oceanic and littoral habitats. Two subspecies Alcataenia larina pacifica and Alcataenia larina larina are recognized with the former occurring in the North Pacific basin and the latter in the North Atlantic. Alcids serve as incidental hosts for both species and...

Kinematics of diving Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica L.): evidence for an active upstroke.

To examine the propulsion mechanism of diving Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica), their three-dimensional kinematics was investigated by digital analysis of sequential video images of dorsal and lateral views. During the dives of this wing-propelled bird, the wings are partly folded, with the handwings directed backwards. The wings go through an oscillating motion in which the joint between ...

Trophic interactions under climate fluctuations: the Atlantic puffin as an example.

Co-occurrence in food requirements of offspring and food availability is a key factor determining breeding success. Prey availability is typically dependent on environmental conditions that are different from those influencing the predator's decision regarding whether or not to initiate breeding, and is not always optimal at the peak of reproduction requirements. We investigated this relationsh...