Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-qsmjn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-18T22:00:07.777Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Observations of mice predation on dark-mantled sooty albatross and Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross chicks at Gough Island

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2013

R.J. Cuthbert ,
H. Louw ,
G. Parker ,
K. Rexer-Huber  and
P. Visser
R.J. Cuthbert*
Affiliation:
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL, UK
H. Louw
Affiliation:
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL, UK DST/NRF Centre of Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
G. Parker
Affiliation:
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL, UK DST/NRF Centre of Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
K. Rexer-Huber
Affiliation:
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL, UK DST/NRF Centre of Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
P. Visser
Affiliation:
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL, UK DST/NRF Centre of Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
*
richard_cuthbert@yahoo.co.uk
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Introduced house mice Mus musculus L. have been discovered to be major predators of chicks of the Tristan albatross Diomedea dabbenena L. and Atlantic petrel Pterodroma incerta Schlegel and to also predate great shearwater Puffinus gravis O'Reilly chicks at Gough Island, and similar predatory behaviour has been reported for house mice on Marion Island. Observations on Gough Island over three breeding seasons of nesting Atlantic yellow-nosed albatrosses Thalassarche chlororhynchos Gmelin and dark-mantled sooty albatross Phoebetria fusca Hilsenberg indicate that house mice are also preying on these two species: the first records of mice preying upon summer-breeding albatross species on Gough Island. Predation on these two albatross species appears to be relatively rare (∼2% for the Atlantic yellow-nosed albatrosses) and ongoing monitoring is required to ascertain if the impact of mice is increasing. Conservation actions to eradicate mice from Gough Island will be of benefit to these species and other species that are being impacted by this invasive species.

Keywords

conservationinvasive speciesMus musculusPhoebetria fuscaThalassarche chlororhynchos
Type
Biological Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 25 , Issue 6 , December 2013 , pp. 763 - 766
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ainley, D.G., Henderson, R.P. Strong, C.S. 1990. Leach's and ashy storm-petrel. In Ainley, D.G. & Boekelheide, R.J., eds. Seabirds of the Farallon Islands. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press, 128–162.Google Scholar
Angel, A. Cooper, J. 2006. A review of the impacts of introduced rodents on the islands of Tristan da Cunha and Gough. RSPB Research Report No. 17. Sandy, UK: RSPB, 64 pp.Google Scholar
Atkinson, I.A.E. 1985. The spread of commensal species of Rattus to oceanic islands and their effect on island avifaunas. In Moors, P.J., ed. Conservation of island birds. Cambridge: International Council for Bird Preservation, 35–81.Google Scholar
Avenant, N.L. Smith, V.R. 2003. The microenvironment of house mice on Marion Island (sub-Antarctic). Polar Biology, 26, 129–141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Butchart, S.H.M. 2008. Red List indices to measure the sustainability of species use and impacts of invasive alien species. Bird Conservation International, 18, S245–S262.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campos, J.L. Granadeiro, J.P. 1999. Breeding biology of the white-faced storm-petrel on Salvagem Grande Island, north-east Atlantic. Waterbirds, 22, 199–206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cuthbert, R. 2004. Breeding biology and population estimate of the Atlantic petrel, Pterodroma incerta, and other burrowing petrels at Gough Island, South Atlantic Ocean. Emu, 104, 221–228.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cuthbert, R. Hilton, G. 2004. Introduced house mice Mus musculus: a significant predator of endangered and endemic birds on Gough Island, South Atlantic Ocean? Biological Conservation, 117, 483–489.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cuthbert, R.J. Sommer, E.S. 2004. Gough Island bird monitoring manual. RSPB Research Report No. 5. Sandy, UK: RSPB, 54 pp.Google Scholar
Cuthbert, R., Ryan, P.G., Cooper, J. Hilton, G. 2003. Demography and population trends of the Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross Thalassarche chlororhynchos . The Condor, 105, 439–452.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cuthbert, R., Sommer, E., Ryan, P.G., Cooper, J. Hilton, G. 2004. Demography and conservation of the Tristan albatross Diomedea [exulans] dabbenena . Biological Conservation, 117, 471–481.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cuthbert, R.J., Louw, H., Lurling, J., Parker, G., Rexer-Huber, K., Sommer, E., Visser, P. Ryan, P.G. 2013. Low burrow occupancy and breeding success of burrowing petrels at Gough Island: a consequence of mouse predation. Bird Conservation International, 10.1017/S0959270912000494.Google Scholar
Fugler, S.R., Hunter, S., Newton, I.P. Steele, W.K. 1987. Breeding biology of blue petrels Halobaena caerulea at the Prince Edwards Islands. Emu, 87, 103–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gleeson, J.P. van Rensburg, P.J.J. 1982. Feeding ecology of the house mouse Mus musculus on Marion Island. South African Journal of Antarctic Research, 12, 34–39.Google Scholar
Hilton, G.M. Cuthbert, R.J. 2010. The catastrophic impact of invasive mammalian predators on birds of the UK Overseas Territories: a review and synthesis. Ibis, 152, 443–458.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, A.G., Chown, S.L. Gaston, K.J. 2003. Introduced house mouse as a conservation concern on Gough Island. Biological Conservation, 12, 2107–2119.Google Scholar
Jones, H.P., Tershy, B.R., Zaveleta, E.A., Croll, D.A., Keitt, B.S., Finkelstein, M.E. Howald, G.R. 2008. Severity of the effects of invasive rats on seabirds: a global review. Conservation Biology, 22, 16–26.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jones, M.G.W. Ryan, P.G. 2010. Evidence of mouse attacks on albatross chicks on sub-Antarctic Marion Island. Antarctic Science, 22, 3–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Michelsen-Heath, S. Gaze, P. 2007. Changes in abundance and distribution of the rock wren (Xenicus gilviventris) in the South Island, New Zealand. Notornis, 54, 71–78.Google Scholar
Ryan, P.G. Cuthbert, R.J. 2008. The biology and conservation status of Gough bunting Rowettia goughensis . Bulletin of the British Ornithology Club, 128, 242–253.Google Scholar
Tickell, W.L.N. 2000. Albatrosses. Mountfield, UK: Pica Press, 448 pp.Google Scholar
Wanless, R.M., Angel, A., Cuthbert, R.J., Hilton, G.M. Ryan, P.G. 2007. Can predation by invasive mice drive seabird extinctions? Biology Letters, 3, 241–244.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wanless, R.M., Ratcliffe, N., Angel, A., Bowie, B.C., Cita, K., Hilton, G.M., Kritzinger, P., Ryan, P.G. Slabber, M. 2012. Predation of Atlantic petrel chicks by house mice on Gough Island. Animal Conservation, 15, 472–479.CrossRefGoogle Scholar