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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 110(2)

Breeding success of Northern Rockhopper Penguins (Eudyptes moseleyi) at Gough Island, South Atlantic Ocean

J. W. Wilson A B C E , M.-H. Burle A B , R. Cuthbert A , R. L. Stirnemann D and P. G. Ryan B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL, UK.

B DST/NRF Centre of Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa.

C Present address: Biology Department, Campus Box 7617, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617, USA.

D Botany Department, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland.

E Corresponding author. Email: johnnybirder@gmail.com

Emu 110(2) 137-141 https://doi.org/10.1071/MU09095
Submitted: 8 October 2009  Accepted: 8 December 2009   Published: 19 May 2010

Abstract

Populations of Northern Rockhopper Penguins (Eudyptes moseleyi) are declining, and their breeding success is low compared with that of other species of Eudyptes. We tracked loss of broods and investigated how the response to threats by breeding birds and the density of nests in a colony influence breeding success of Northern Rockhopper Penguins on Gough Island. Brood loss was greatest (33–61%) during incubation and the early chick stage. Most (71%) hatchlings survived to form crèches, and 73% of chicks present during early crèche formation moulted into juvenile plumage. Breeding success was significantly positively correlated with the response to threats by breeding birds and the number of other breeding birds within a 1.5-m radius, a relationship that may be increasingly important in a declining penguin population.


Acknowledgements

Logistical support at Gough Island was provided by the then South African Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism through the South African National Antarctic Program. Financial support was obtained from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the University of Cape Town. The Administrator of Tristan da Cunha granted us permission to undertake research at Gough Island. Mike Scantlebury and two anonymous reviewers provided useful comments on earlier versions of the manuscript.


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