Albatross Camera Sheds Light on Feeding Interaction with Killer Whale
07.10.2009 - Flora & Fauna, Antarctic
A study led by scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the Japanese National Institute of Polar Reasearch in Tokyo and Hokkaido University in January 2009 has yielded its first results. As part of a UK-Japan International Polar Year (IPY) project, four Black-browed albatrosses from the Bird Island colony in South Georgia were equipped with cameras. These tiny cameras weighing only 82 grams are taped to the back feathers of the birds. While a camera slightly changes an albatross's aerodynamics, it has no effect on their breeding success.
The results published in the open-access journal PLoS ONE from the Public Library of Science have provided a first-class view on how the albatrosses are foraging in groups while at sea. For the first time, they have been seen feeding with a killer whale, a strategy which seems to improve efficiency. The interaction, which is similar to the way tropical seabirds often interact with tuna, directs the fish to the surface, making them easy prey for the albatrosses.
