Berlincourt Maud, Arnould John P Y
School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia.
PLoS One. 2014 Aug 13;9(8):e105065. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0105065. eCollection 2014.
Prey distribution, patch size, and the presence of conspecifics are important factors influencing a predator's feeding tactics, including the decision to feed individually or socially. Little is known about group behaviour in seabirds as they spend most of their lives in the marine environment where it is difficult to observe their foraging activities. In this study, we report on at-sea foraging associations of little penguins (Eudyptula minor) during the breeding season. Individuals could be categorised as (1) not associating; (2) associating when departing from and/or returning to the colony; or (3) at sea when travelling, diving or performing synchronised dives. Out of 84 separate foraging tracks, 58 (69.0%) involved associations with conspecifics. Furthermore, in a total of 39 (46.4%), individuals were found to dive during association and in 32 (38.1%), individuals were found to exhibit synchronous diving. These behaviours suggest little penguins forage in groups, could synchronise their underwater movements and potentially cooperate to concentrate their small schooling prey.
猎物分布、斑块大小以及同种个体的存在是影响捕食者觅食策略的重要因素，包括单独觅食或群体觅食的决策。由于海鸟一生中的大部分时间都生活在海洋环境中，很难观察到它们的觅食活动，因此对其群体行为知之甚少。在本研究中，我们报告了繁殖季节小企鹅（Eudyptula minor）在海上的觅食关联情况。个体可分为以下几类：（1）不关联；（2）在离开和/或返回栖息地时关联；或（3）在海上旅行、潜水或进行同步潜水时关联。在84条独立的觅食轨迹中，58条（69.0%）涉及与同种个体的关联。此外，在总共39条（46.4%）轨迹中，发现个体在关联时潜水，在32条（38.1%）轨迹中，发现个体表现出同步潜水。这些行为表明，小企鹅会群体觅食，能够同步水下活动，并可能合作集中捕食小型集群猎物。
