South American sea bird stuns researchers
Aug 1, 2012 | Terra Daily / SPX
A team of researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and
the National Research Council of Argentina recently fitted a South
American sea bird called an imperial cormorant with a small camera, then
watched stunned as it became "superbird" - diving 150 feet underwater
in 40 seconds, feeding on the ocean floor for 80 seconds where it
eventually caught a snakelike fish, before returning to the surface 40
seconds later.
This is the first time researchers have been able to watch first-hand
the amazing feeding techniques of these fascinating birds, which occur
off the coast of Argentina.
The footage shows the cormorant briefly on the surface before diving for
the bottom. The camera is attached to the bird's back, so the view is
of its head as it pumps its feet to swim deeper.
When it finally reaches the ocean floor, it explores a vast area
searching for food. It eventually finds an elongated fish, which it
brings to the surface to eat.
The footage came from Punta Leon in Patagonia,
Argentina, a coastal protected area supporting more than 3.500 pairs of
imperial cormorants. A WCS scientific team, led by Dr. Flavio Quintana,
has been studying the cormorants' feeding behavior for the past ten
years.
The team was joined by Dr. Carlos Zavalaga along with Ken Yoda from the
University of Nogoya, Japan to fit the camera on the bird.
The WCS team has tracked more than 400 cormorants along the Patagonian
Coast of Argentina using cutting edge technological tools such as
multi-channel archival tags and high resolution GPS-loggers.
This information will help identify priority feeding areas to help
design new protected areas and to understand environmental conditions
that affect cormorant populations.
WCS has worked in Patagonia for more than five decades and has helped
establish a series of protected areas to safeguard local wildlife,
including penguins, albatross, and elephant seals.
With the support of the Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation,
Mitsubishi Corporation Foundation for the Americas, and other generous
donors, WCS has worked in Patagonia for more than five decades. Our
efforts have helped establish a series of protected areas to safeguard
local wildlife, including penguins, albatross, and elephant seals.
The video footage is available online.
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