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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 108(1)

Population size, breeding success and provenance of a mainland colony of Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor)

David Priddel A B , Nicholas Carlile A and Robert Wheeler A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Environment and Climate Change (NSW), PO Box 1967, Hurstville, NSW 2220, Australia.

B Corresponding author. Email: david.priddel@environment.nsw.gov.au

Emu 108(1) 35-41 https://doi.org/10.1071/MU07038
Submitted: 26 June 2007  Accepted: 1 February 2008   Published: 4 March 2008

Abstract

Although most Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor) breed on offshore islands, several small colonies occur on the mainlands of New Zealand and Australia, including mainland Tasmania. Unlike island colonies, most mainland colonies have declined over recent decades, several having gone extinct. A mainland colony of Little Penguins in North Harbour, Sydney, Australia, was monitored over three consecutive breeding seasons (2002–03 to 2004–05). The number of known nesting pairs was 49–56 per annum. The mean number of eggs laid per pair (2.45), eggs hatched per pair (1.84), fledglings produced per pair (1.71), hatching success (0.72) and breeding success (0.70) were among the highest reported from Australian colonies. Underlying these figures was a particularly high proportion of pairs that double-brooded (14–31% per annum, mean 24%). Fledging mass as a percentage of mean adult mass (103%) was also high. Together, these results suggest that food at the North Harbour colony was abundant during the period of study. Fledglings first returned to the colony at 1–4 years of age and first bred at 2–4 years of age. The recruitment rate of fledglings produced at the North Harbour colony was up to 15%, much higher than that recorded elsewhere. Banding recoveries (1997–2005) show that the North Harbour colony contains a substantial number of immigrants that have come from as far afield as Phillip Island, 761 km south of Sydney. Individuals banded at North Harbour have been recovered as far away as Sydenham Inlet, Victoria, 485 km to the south. The mixed provenance of the North Harbour population demonstrates that it is not isolated, either demographically or genetically, from other colonies in south-eastern Australia.


Acknowledgements

This project was funded through the NSW Little Penguin Recovery Team. Tania Duratovic, Robert Humphries and Margaret Bailey (NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC)) administered this project and other components of the recovery program. Geoff Ross, Julie Bourne (DECC) and Greg Webb had earlier located and marked nests, and banded Penguins within the colony. David Ruckert (Australian Institute of Police Management) coordinated access to police lands. Phil Glass and others provided voluntary assistance in the field. The residents of Manly Point provided access to Penguin nests located on their land. The ABBBS provided data on Penguin recoveries. Peter Dann and Lisa O’Neill provided helpful comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript. This research was carried out under NPWS Scientific Licences S10614 and S10615; ABBBS project licence 8010; and Department of Environment and Conservation AEC approval No. 021028/02.


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