Human-induced behaviour in Adélie penguins Pygoscelis adeliae

SummaryAdélie penguins Pygoscelis adeliae appear to be little perturbed by man. We examined the incidence of nest desertion and duration of foraging trip in Adélie penguins when manipulated and fitted with devices of differing sizes. Birds with ca. 1 cm clipped from their tail feathers stayed at sea 50% longer than unmarked controls. The length of foraging trip and incidence of nest desertion increased with increasing device volume. Penguins fitted with devices did not reduce foraging trip length to that of unpackaged birds for at least 19 days. The susceptibility of Adélie penguins to disturbance should be carefully considered when activity patterns are being studied.

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