Giant petrel (Macronectes halli) predation on red-billed gulls (Larus novaehollandiae) and white-fronted terns (Sterna striata) at Kaikoura

摘要

Giant petrels (Macronectes ssp.) are the largest avian predators and scavengers of the Southern Ocean ecosystem (Hunter & Brooke 1992). The species have a very catholic and opportunistic diet. At sea they are known to feed on krill, fish, birds, cephalopods and carrion, and are well known to scavenge on the discarded waste from fishing vessels (Johnstone 1977; Hunter 1983; Harper 1987; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Hunter & Brooke 1992). The 2 species of giant petrel are among the few procellariids that are able to walk extensive distances on land. This enables them to forage on seal and penguin carrion and a wide variety of smaller live seabirds such as burrowing petrels and penguin chicks. (Hunter & Brooke 1992; Copello et al. 2008).