Breeding biology of the Hawaiian dark-rumped petrel in the Hawaiian Islands

Author:

Simons, Pamela M., Simons, Theodore R.

Title:

Breeding biology of the Hawaiian dark-rumped petrel in the Hawaiian Islands

Periodical:

Proceedings, Third Conference in Natural Sciences, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Year:

1980

Subject:

Birds ecology Hawaiian Dark-rumped petrel

Summary:

The purpose of this paper is to present some of the initial findings of a three-year study begun in 1979 on the breeding biology and ecology of the Hawaiian Dark-rumped Petrel (Pterodroma phaeopygia sandwicensis) and to provide an overview of work in progress . The Hawaiian Dark-rumped Petrel or Uau is one of two endangered subspecies; the other, Pterodroma phaeopygia phaeopygia, nest in the Galapagos Islands. Like most Procellariiformes, Hawaiian Dark-rumped Petrels are truly pelagic birds that spend much of their life over the open ocean, visiting land only to breed. They are nocturnal, burrow-nesting birds showing many of the attributes of an intensely K selected species. They are long-lived with delayed maturity and a low reproductive potential; each pair produces only a single egg per year which is not replaced if it is lost. For these reasons the recovery rate of a disturbed population can be expected to be slow and there is a very real potential that an apparently stable population could decline rapidly with little warning. There is ample historical evidence that Hawaiian Dark-rumped Petrels have been severely disturbed in Hawaii and have been eliminated from most of their former nesting areas . Perkins (1903) noted that the species was "common in many parts of the islands, nesting in the high mountains, where it forms large nesting colonies" and it appears that it was once abundant on all of the main islands except perhaps Oahu. Archaeological evidence indicates that huge colonies must have existed in the past on the island of Hawaii. Munro (1955) commented on the populations on Molokai stating, "I was told that on its arrival at Pelekunu Valley, Molokai, in the evening it darkened the sky." Today, as a result of predation by introduced mongooses (Herpestes auropunctatus), rats (Rattus spp.), and feral cats (Felis catus) as well as hunting of the birds by native Hawaiians, prized the chicks as a delicacy, the colonies of Hawaiian Dark-rumped Petrels have been reduced to several small, remnant populations. The purpose of our study is to collect basic information on the natural history, breeding biology, and population dynamics of the remaining populations of Hawaiian Dark-rumped Petrels and to identify the factors that are currently threatening their survival. The primary goal is to examine the effect of predation and other factors limiting reproductive success in the hope of developing a simulation model for the remaining populations. This information will give an indication of the recovery potential of the species in the future and contribute to the development of a management plan.

URL:

https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/handle/10125/18406

Collection:

Monographs