Aspects of the Breeding Biology of the Gentoo Penguin Pygoscelis Papua at Volunteer Beach, Falkland Islands, 2001/02

Abstract

The breeding biology of 14 pairs of Gentoo Penguins Pygoscelis papua was studied at Volunteer Beach, Falkland Islands during 2001/02.Breeding commenced in October and the mean hatch date for the first-laid egg was 6 December four days.The brood period lasted 27 days, and chicks fledged from the first week of February onward.The sexes shared incubation and brood duties equally.Mean minimum and maximum foraging trip lengths were 2.0-3.0 days and 0.7-1.8days during the incubation and brood periods respectively.Timing of breeding and breeding success at Volunteer Beach were similar to those reported at other colonies in the South Atlantic Ocean/Antarctic Peninsula region.In contrast, the comparatively long foraging trips during incubation and brooding were similar to those reported for Gentoo Penguins breeding in the southern Indian Ocean.