Ecology Summary - Onychoprion fuscatus

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Ecology of Onychoprion fuscatus

Main Ref.	SAUP Database, 2006
Remarks	Pelagic (Ref. 122680). Coastal and oceanic islands, and offshore (Ref. 356). In beach, shoreline and pelagic zone (Ref. 116102). Pantropic, pelagic species. Strong flyer, high over the ocean. Forms large breeding colonies on tropical and subtropical islands on sand, coral and rock, with or without vegetation. Forages in flocks (Ref. 84934). Remains 10 to 20 m above water then descends and wheels in circles before grabbing its food (Ref. 356). Feeding techniques: air dipping and contact dipping from the water surface (Refs. 356, 96995). Diet consists of squid, goatfish, flyingfish and mackerel scad (Ref. 122680). Does not plunge dive and rarely stays long in water as plumage is not waterproof. Colonies may suffer heavy losses of eggs by predatory cats (Ref. 84934).

Main Ref.

SAUP Database, 2006

Remarks

Pelagic (Ref. 122680). Coastal and oceanic islands, and offshore (Ref. 356). In beach, shoreline and pelagic zone (Ref. 116102). Pantropic, pelagic species. Strong flyer, high over the ocean. Forms large breeding colonies on tropical and subtropical islands on sand, coral and rock, with or without vegetation. Forages in flocks (Ref. 84934). Remains 10 to 20 m above water then descends and wheels in circles before grabbing its food (Ref. 356). Feeding techniques: air dipping and contact dipping from the water surface (Refs. 356, 96995). Diet consists of squid, goatfish, flyingfish and mackerel scad (Ref. 122680). Does not plunge dive and rarely stays long in water as plumage is not waterproof. Colonies may suffer heavy losses of eggs by predatory cats (Ref. 84934).

Aquatic zones / Water bodies

	Marine - Neritic	Marine - Oceanic	Brackishwater	Freshwater
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies	supra-littoral zone littoral zone sublittoral zone	epipelagic mesopelagic epipelagic abyssopelagic hadopelagic	estuaries/lagoons/brackish seas mangroves marshes/swamps	rivers/streams lakes/ponds caves exclusively in caves

Highighted items on the list are where Onychoprion fuscatus may be found.

Habitat

Substrate
Substrate Ref.
Special habitats
Special habitats Ref.

Associations

Ref.	King, W.B., 1974
Associations	colony-forming/symphorism; mutualism;
Associated with	Found in flock with Puffinus pacificus, Pterodroma externa, Gygis alba, Pterodroma nigripennis, Fregata minor, Puffinus griseus, Anous stolidus, Puffinus puffinus, Sula sula, Bulweria bulwerii, Pterodroma neglecta, Sula dactylatra, Puffinus nativitalis, Phaethon rubricauda, Oceanodroma leucorhoa, Sterna lunata, Stercorarius pomarinus, Puffinus carneipes, Pterodroma alba, Pterodroma phaeopygia, Stercorarius longicaudus, Fregata ariel, Pterodroma hypoleuca, Phaethon lepturus, Puffinus bulleri, Puffinus lherminieri, Puffinus tenuirostris, Pterodroma inexpectata, Sula leucogaster, Catharacta spp., and Anous tenuirostris.
Association remarks	Association is based on the interest in the same food source (Ref. 96995). Form large breeding colonies (Ref. 84934).
Parasitism

feeding

Feeding type	mainly animals (troph. 2.8 and up)
Feeding type Ref.	Hensley, V.I. and D.A. Hensley, 1995
Feeding habit	hunting macrofauna (predator)
Feeding habit Ref.	SAUP Database, 2006

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method	original sample		unfished population		Remark
Estimation method	Troph	s.e.	Troph	s.e.	Remark
From diet composition
From individual food items	4.43	1.00			Trophic level estimated from a number of food items using a randomized resampling routine.
Ref.

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