著者
Kentaro Kazama
出版者
The Ornithological Society of Japan
雑誌
ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:13470558)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.18, no.2, pp.117-126, 2019 (Released:2019-07-29)
参考文献数
36

Breeding seabirds, often nest at high densities and supply large amounts of marine-derived nutrients, such as nitrogen, in their feces into the ecosystems surrounding their breeding colonies. It has been well demonstrated that the nitrogen supplied by seabirds (seabird-N) into terrestrial ecosystems has a strong bottom-up effect on both producers and consumers. The seabird-N can reach into the surrounding marine ecosystems near the colony through multiple pathways including the surface run-off of rainwater or leaching by ground water. However, in marine ecosystems the bottom-up effects of seabird-N have been rarely documented. A few studies using stable isotope analyses have reported that seabird-N enhances the productivity of both phytoplankton and macro algae. There have been more limited studies documenting similar positive effects of seabird-N on marine consumers. Very little is known about spatio-temporal variations in the effects of the seabird-N on marine ecosystems. To understand the ecosystem functions of seabirds in marine nutrient cycling and the bottom-up effects of seabird-N in marine ecosystems, further research is necessary.
著者
Naoki KATAYAMA Hiroshi UCHIDA Yoshinobu KUSUMOTO Tomohiko IIDA
出版者
The Ornithological Society of Japan
雑誌
ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:13470558)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.21, no.1, pp.93-114, 2022 (Released:2022-01-31)
参考文献数
69

Perennial farmlands such as fruit orchards and vineyards often substitute for natural habitats and provide nesting and foraging habitats for birds. Bird use of perennial farmlands has been investigated mainly in Europe and North America, but far less in Asia, which hosts one-third of identified biodiversity hotspots. We aimed to fill this knowledge gap by performing a systematic review of bird studies in fruit orchards and vineyards in Japan. We screened literature written in English or Japanese including both published and non-peer-reviewed (grey material, e.g., books, abstracts of annual meetings, blogs, and unpublished surveys). The review identified 31 bird species, including four Red List species, that nest in orchards and vineyards in Japan. Several studies have provided insights into the habitat quality of fruit orchards, which appears to vary among bird species. Other studies have reported: (1) the effects of orchard management on bird diversity (e.g., positive effects of organic farming and grass cover on bird richness and abundance); and (2) the ecosystem services by birds (e.g., reduction of pest rodents by predatory Ural Owls Strix uralensis). Our review demonstrates the potential importance of fruit orchards and vineyards to bird species that have adapted to human-modified landscapes, although more quantitative studies are needed to investigate the actual breeding performance of birds. We also illustrate the importance of non-English-language literature, including grey literature, to mitigate ecological knowledge gaps in countries where English is not the first language.
著者
Haruna SAKAMOTO Daisuke AOKI Shingo UEMURA Masaoki TAKAGI
出版者
The Ornithological Society of Japan
雑誌
ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:13470558)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.22, no.1, pp.45-56, 2023 (Released:2023-01-26)
参考文献数
54

Negative relationships between the degree of parental investment and the presence of unrelated offspring in the nest due to extra-pair paternity (EPP) or conspecific brood parasitism (CBP) are predicted in monogamous species. This is because investing in unrelated offspring is costly to individual parents. However, such strategies may be adaptive for one social partner. Because parental investment changes in response to that by the social partner, the predicted relationship needs to be assessed empirically in wild animal populations, with consideration for male and female parental care. Furthermore, both EPP and CBP must be considered simultaneously in such a study. In this study, we tackled the issue using the semi-colonial Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus, in which both EPP and CBP were predicted to occur. We tested whether there is a negative relationship between the degree of parental care of both males and females and the presence of EPP or CBP, taking into consideration the parental investment of their social partners, using behavioral observations and parentage analyses based on seven microsatellite loci. The results revealed a moderately high frequency of EPP and CBP within a sparrow colony. A negative relationship between parental care by the social male parent and the presence of EPP was suggested, while this was possibly as a result of the increase in parental investment by their female partner. CBP was also inferred to be linked with male parental investment, while females may have compensated for the cost of CBP in their provisioning efforts by egg rejection. High frequencies of occurrence of both EPP and CBP allowed us to shed light on how parental investment is related to the presence of unrelated young in the complex social system of the Eurasian Tree Sparrow.
著者
Eunok Lee Jun Miyazaki Shinya Yoshioka Hang Lee Shoei Sugita
出版者
The Ornithological Society of Japan
雑誌
ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:13470558)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.11, no.1, pp.59-64, 2012 (Released:2012-07-03)
参考文献数
18
被引用文献数
14

We investigated the origin of the iridescent violet-bluish feathers of the adult Jungle Crow, Corvus macrorhynchos, using microscopic and optical techniques. A single layer of melanin granules was found below the surface of the barbules in the feathers of male crows. Although the barbule microstructure was clearly sexually dimorphic, neither the appearance nor the optical measurements were notably different between the sexes, which indicated that the single layer of melanin granules did not contribute to the iridescent color of the feathers. We also found a thin layer, which we refer to as the epicuticle, at the surfaces of the barbules of both male and female feathers, indicating thin-film interference as the most likely cause of the iridescent color. We investigated this possibility by measuring reflection patterns and spectra. Our results suggest that the weak violet-bluish feather color of the feathers of the Jungle Crow is caused by thin-film interface due to the presence of an epicuticle on the feather barbules.
著者
Dean Portelli Nicholas Carlile
出版者
The Ornithological Society of Japan
雑誌
ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:13470558)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.18, no.2, pp.169-175, 2019 (Released:2019-07-29)
参考文献数
41

The Lord Howe Woodhen (Hypotaenidia sylvestris) is endemic to Lord Howe Island off the mid-east coast of Australia and came perilously close to extinction as a result of hunting pressure and introduced predators. A recovery program was implemented in the 1970s to reverse the decline of the species through eradicating introduced predators (pigs, cats and goats) and augmenting the population through an in situ captive-breeding program. In 1980, three wild breeding pairs were taken into captivity from Mount Gower. Over the four years of the captive-breeding program, 76 chicks were produced from the original founders and their progeny and an additional four chicks were artificially reared from eggs collected from a wild pair. Almost all woodhens were liberated across four release sites, but only 13% of released birds were resighted and numbers increased at only one of these sites and then declined. A captive-bred female that was released into the lowlands paired with a wild male (which had been temporarily held in captivity) and bred prolifically, leading to rapid population growth in the lowlands. The subpopulation on Mount Gower increased fivefold in the decade following the captive-breeding program, despite the removal of the three breeding pairs (which were released elsewhere) and receiving no augmentation from the captive-breeding program. The woodhen population continues to expand and it is likely the eradication of invasive rodents from Lord Howe Island during 2019 will facilitate further population growth.
著者
Peter M. VAUGHAN Jessie C. BUETTE Barry W. BROOK
出版者
The Ornithological Society of Japan
雑誌
ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:13470558)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.21, no.1, pp.3-12, 2022 (Released:2022-01-31)
参考文献数
42

Understanding the behavioural responses of bird species to their environments is important for effective conservation, especially in captive-management and resource-provisioning programs. Camera traps present a growing opportunity to research bird breeding and foraging behaviour in situ. Remotely triggered cameras are commonly deployed to study mammals and large terrestrial birds. They are rarely used to survey small or arboreal birds due to habitat constraints. However, a wealth of information about small or arboreal birds can be generated opportunistically from camera traps in the course of collecting data on other taxa. Here, we describe and quantify the types of behavioural information that can be so gleaned, based on over 1,700 small-bird images captured as "collateral" during a geographically extensive mammal-focused camera study in Tasmania, Australia in 2018–2020. Postural analysis of images revealed 10 distinct behaviours. Large- and medium-sized terrestrial bird species were most commonly observed (61.6% of behavioural images), but small and arboreal species were also photographed at high rates (18.4% and 29.5% of behavioural images respectively). Investigative activity was the most commonly observed behaviour in small and arboreal species (around half of all images), but feeding, mating and even very rare behaviours like fur plucking, were also captured photographically. This case study reveals the value of opportunistically analysing camera trap images for small or arboreal birds species, especially when they are of conservation interest, even for cases where deliberately targeting them would not be a cost-effective strategy.
著者
Christoph Randler
出版者
The Ornithological Society of Japan
雑誌
ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:13470558)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.15, no.1, pp.1-14, 2016 (Released:2016-02-05)
参考文献数
49
被引用文献数
10

Birds of a wide range of species show characteristic movements of their tail, often called tail flicking, tail wagging or tail flashing. Tail flicking refers to vertical up-and-down movements of the tail, while tail flashing is defined as a horizontal movement, often including tail spreading. Here, I review proposed functions of such behaviour. Most relate to communication with conspecifics, predators or prey. Tail flashing may induce movement of the bird's prey that makes the prey more vulnerable to capture (‘prey-flushing’). Tail movements may signal to a predator that the signaller has detected it (‘perception advertisement’), or that the signaller is particularly alert or otherwise difficult to catch (‘quality advertisement’). Further, it may warn conspecifics of predators (‘alarm signal’), or it may advertise quality as a mate, signal social status, or aid in flock cohesion. This behaviour may, possibly, though it seems unlikely, represent a cue rather than a signal in that it benefits the receiver, but not the signaller. For each postulated function, I develop predictions stemming from that function, and interpret the available empirical evidence in the context of these predictions. I finish by synthesising our current state of knowledge and by identifying the future empirical studies that would most improve our understanding of this widespread but unjustly neglected avian behaviour.
著者
Ioannis Kontogeorgos Nikos Kiamos Patricia Montiel-Ruiz Elisavet Georgopoulou Moysis Mylonas Stavros M Xirouchakis
出版者
The Ornithological Society of Japan
雑誌
ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:13470558)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.18, no.1, pp.95-110, 2019 (Released:2019-01-29)
参考文献数
98
被引用文献数
4

The diet composition and dietary patterns of the Long-eared Owl Asio otus were studied in Mediterranean agrosystems in central Crete (Greece) over the winters of 2009–2015. Overall, 2,819 prey items were recovered from 1,207 pellets, belonging to six taxa of mammals, 22 taxa of birds and four taxa of insects. Small mammals were the most common prey species, accounting for 75.8% by frequency and 79.7% by biomass, followed by birds (23.2% and 20.1%); the latter being rather an island component compared to continental regions. The House Mouse Mus musculus was the most important prey species in the owl's diet (56.3%) ahead of the Wood Mouse apodemus sylvaticus (9.51%) and the Black Rat Rattus rattus (7.9%). The species proved to be a significant rodent predator in olive groves and vineyards during winter months, selecting Wood Mouse and young Black Rat more than expected. Long-eared Owl feeding ecology studies could lead to improved land management and agricultural practices in the rural landscapes of the Mediterranean.
著者
Kentaro Kazama
出版者
日本鳥学会
雑誌
ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:13470558)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.14, no.1, pp.1-2, 2015 (Released:2015-02-18)
参考文献数
6
被引用文献数
2
著者
Akira SAWADA Tetsuya IWASAKI Chitose INOUE Kana NAKAOKA Takumi NAKANISHI Junpei SAWADA Narumi ASO Syuya NAGAI Haruka ONO Ryota MURAKAMI Masaoki TAKAGI
出版者
The Ornithological Society of Japan
雑誌
ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:13470558)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.22, no.1, pp.25-34, 2023 (Released:2023-01-26)
参考文献数
42
被引用文献数
1

Empirical ornithologists often analyse dispersal distance by histograms separately drawn for categories of individuals (e.g., sexes), and/or by linear models with normal distribution (e.g., ANOVA). However, theoreticians describe dispersal distance by dispersal kernels with various parametric distributions. Therefore, it is a helpful exercise for empiricists to estimate dispersal kernels from field data. As a model case for such an estimation, we analysed dispersal data of the Ryukyu Scops Owls Otus elegans using a Bayesian Weibull regression model. Estimated dispersal kernels showed that males and individuals fledged from late-breeding nests had short natal dispersal distances and that no factors affected breeding dispersal significantly.
著者
Alima DORZHIEVA Makoto NAKATA Keisuke TAKANO Youki FUJIHIKO Yasuo ITO Kiyoshi AKAHARA Katsuyoshi TACHIKAWA Yasuko ICHIMURA Yaeko FURUKAWA Hiroshi SATO Mikiko FUJISAWA Mika OKAMOTO Takehiko SHIMIZU
出版者
The Ornithological Society of Japan
雑誌
ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:13470558)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.19, no.1, pp.41-53, 2020 (Released:2020-01-30)
参考文献数
45
被引用文献数
2

Changes in the timing of bird migration in spring and autumn in a coastal forest near the city of Niigata, central Honshu, Japan, were analyzed based on 27 years of bird-banding records. Half of the bird species studied, including all migratory types except residents, arrived or departed significantly earlier in spring due to an increase in spring temperatures. The rate of change we observed in spring migration timing due to changes in temperature was identical to or slightly greater than those reported in studies from other countries. The spring arrival of the Narcissus Flycatcher Ficedula narcissina and the Japanese Thrush Turdus cardis, both long-distance summer migrants to the nearby mountains, became earlier (advanced), however, for reasons that remained unclear. Median capture date in autumn was significantly associated with year for five species. Of these, the median capture date of the Japanese White-eye Zosterops japonicus, a resident and wandering bird, and the Black-faced Bunting Emberiza spodocephala, a wandering bird, advanced annually, while for the Japanese Robin Luscinia akahige and two other species (all long-distance migrants), it was delayed. We hypothesize that forest succession from a simple pine forest to a mixed forest with well-developed sub-canopy and shrub layers may have strongly influenced the Japanese White-eye and the Black-faced Bunting due to changes in population structure in the study area, resulting in an earlier median autumn capture date. Forest succession may also have influenced the Japanese Robin's food resources, enabling it to stay longer in the study area and resulting in a delay in autumn departure date. Thus, changes in bird migration timing differ according to different environmental factors in spring and autumn.
著者
Keiichi AOTSUKA Hideki ENDO
出版者
The Ornithological Society of Japan
雑誌
ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:13470558)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.21, no.1, pp.79-92, 2022 (Released:2022-01-31)
参考文献数
97

Alcidae (auks) is a family of wing-propelled diving Charadriiformes, which includes 24 extant species distributed in the Holarctic region. Here, we describe a fossil humerus of Pliocene Alcidae (approximately 4.5–3.5 Ma) from the Fukagawa Group in Hokkaido, Japan. Although this specimen is incomplete and the diagnostic characters of the specific genus are lacking, it shares similar characteristics with Uria, such as the size, dorsoventrally compressed humeral shaft, low and smooth crista deltopectoralis, and a nearly rectangular supracoracoideus scar. While several Alcidae fossils have been reported from the Miocene–Pleistocene deposits (23.0–0.0117 Ma) of the Eastern Pacific (i.e., Mexico and California, USA), little is known about fossils from the Western Pacific (i.e., Asia), most of which have been found from Pleistocene deposits (approximately 0.7–0.12 Ma). This study, reporting the first Pliocene Alcidae from the Western Pacific, implies that the Alcidae were already distributed in the Holarctic region during the early Pliocene.
著者
Makoto HASEBE Masayuki SENZAKI
出版者
The Ornithological Society of Japan
雑誌
ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:13470558)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.21, no.1, pp.115-119, 2022 (Released:2022-01-31)
参考文献数
8

Pallas's Reed Bunting Emberiza pallasi was confirmed to be breeding in grassland at the Volchinka River mouth, Northern Sakhalin, Russia, in July 2019. The density of the species was 0.17 territories/ha. The observed individuals were identified as either E. p. polaris or E. p. pallasi based on their morphological characteristics and geographical location. Two nests and two fledglings were discovered. This is the first evidence of this species breeding on Sakhalin Island. Since northern Sakhalin is several hundred to a thousand kilometres away from the previous known breeding range, our study suggests a possible range expansion of this species.
著者
Athira S. VARIAR N. R. ANOOP P. A. VINAYAN P. A. AJAYAN N. S. SUJIN Askar ALI P. K. PRASADAN M. K. SMIJA Santhanakrishnan BABU
出版者
The Ornithological Society of Japan
雑誌
ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:13470558)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.20, no.2, pp.185-199, 2021 (Released:2021-07-31)
参考文献数
51
被引用文献数
2

Understanding the patterns and drivers of bird species composition and diversity outside Protected Area networks is essential to develop landscape-level conservation strategies. The Western Ghats' coffee plantations of India form an important agro-ecosystem and help maintain a significant portion of regional avian diversity. However, knowledge of the composition and functional diversity of birds in differently managed coffee plantation is lacking from the Western Ghats. In this study, we compared the composition and functional diversity of resident birds between shade and open coffees plantations. We counted 3,846 birds of 87 species, and found species richness to be higher in shade (78 species) than in open coffee plantations (55 species). Interestingly, 32 species were unique to shade and nine were unique to open coffee plantations, with 46 species found in both types of plantation. Overall species composition and functional diversity were different in differently managed plantations. Species richness and abundance (birds/point/visit) were higher in shade coffee, reflecting the availability of multiple strata and habitat heterogeneity. Results revealed that different farm management practices can affect functional bird richness and its abundance in coffee plantations. Therefore, retaining shade-trees of native varieties in coffee plantations is important for supporting high functional diversity, richness, and abundance of birds in the coffee plantation of the Western Ghats.
著者
Green CHOI Hyung-Kyu NAM Seok-Jun SON Min Seock DO Jeong-Chil YOO
出版者
The Ornithological Society of Japan
雑誌
ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:13470558)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.20, no.1, pp.27-37, 2021 (Released:2021-02-09)
参考文献数
56
被引用文献数
3

Rice fields provide important inland stopover sites for migratory shorebirds. However, stopover duration and habitat use depend on the environmental conditions in the rice fields, which constantly change due to agricultural activities. This study determined the characteristics of habitat use in two shorebird species, the Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola and Common Greenshank T. nebularia, in rice fields with different habitat conditions resulting from physical changes (field type: fields flooded after plowing, with high water levels after harrowing, or with low water levels after harrowing) and chemical changes (pesticide use: environmentally friendly or conventional farming) from agricultural activities around the time the migratory shorebirds arrive. The study was conducted during the spring stopover periods of these shorebird species in 2015 (May 2–20, 19 days) and 2016 (May 2–21, 20 days), during which we observed the characteristics of their habitat use and estimated the densities of potential prey. Both Wood Sandpiper and Common Greenshank were observed to use flooded fields with low water levels after harrowing. As for pesticide use, potential prey animals were most densely populated in environmentally friendly fields, for which only the large-bodied Common Greenshanks showed selection. This species-specific habitat use seems to be closely associated with body size-dependent prey availability and prey species selection. The small-bodied Wood Sandpiper was more affected by physical than chemical factors. These findings suggest that rice fields—major inland stopover sites for shorebirds—provide different habitats depending on agricultural activities. The study results also have practical implications for future improvement of inland shorebird habitat through efficient rice field management sensitive to the needs of migratory shorebirds.
著者
Peng XU Hao CHEN Duoying CUI Chunrong LI Guoyuan CHEN Yongqiang ZHAO Changhu LU
出版者
The Ornithological Society of Japan
雑誌
ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:13470558)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.19, no.1, pp.93-97, 2020 (Released:2020-01-30)
参考文献数
25
被引用文献数
3

The Red-crowned Crane Grus japonensis is an endangered species in East Asia. The western flyway population in China has been in steady decline in recent years because of the loss and deterioration of the natural wetland habitat it requires. To enhance this migratory Red-crowned Crane population, a project was designed to return captive Red-crowned Cranes to the wild in 2013 and 2015 in the Yancheng National Nature Reserve (YNNR). This reserve is the most important wintering site for the continental migratory population. The survival rate of introduced Red-crowned Cranes was 40%. However, aggregation of introduced and wild individuals was not observed. Introduced individuals did not pair with wild individuals nor did they migrate to breeding areas with them. They remained in the core zone of the YNNR over summer. Here, we report the first breeding of introduced Red-crowned Cranes in the YNNR in 2017 and 2018. Suitable rearing methods and the use of aircraft to inform them of the migration route are necessary. Further research is necessary to confirm the migratory status of the cranes that are reared in the reserve.
著者
Naoki Tomita Yasuko Iwami
出版者
日本鳥学会
雑誌
ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:13470558)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.15, no.1, pp.95-98, 2016 (Released:2016-02-05)
参考文献数
20
被引用文献数
5

We observed three Sand Martin Riparia riparia repeatedly attempting to copulate with a dead bird lying face down on the ground, with its wings spread and lowered. One of the three remained on the ground close to the dead bird and guarded it against copulation from the other two birds. Then, the guarding bird itself attempted to copulate with the dead bird. Based on subsequent dissection the dead Sand Martin was identified as an adult male. Based on our observations, we propose that the observed homosexual necrophilia may be partly explained by the absence of sexual dimorphism in this species and the posture of the dead martin. We suggest that posture is an important trigger arousing male sex drive in a sexually monomorphic species.
著者
Christin L. PRUETT Daniel D. GIBSON Kevin WINKER
出版者
The Ornithological Society of Japan
雑誌
ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:13470558)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.3, no.2, pp.133-138, 2004 (Released:2005-07-13)
参考文献数
24
被引用文献数
8

The conservation status and evolutionary distinctiveness of the isolated, small, and endemic population of Amak Island Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia amaka) have been equivocal. Coupled with a reassessment of phenotypic evidence for this taxon, we used mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences and eight microsatellite loci to evaluate the relationship of the Amak population to nearby Song Sparrow populations. Phenotypically, M. m. amaka is not a valid taxon, and we found that Amak Song Sparrows possess no unique haplotypes and have allele frequencies and heterozygosity values similar to those in other populations. Congruence between genetic and morphological evidence suggesting no diagnosable differences leads us to propose that this population is not an evolutionarily significant unit (ESU), not a valid subspecies, not a distinct population segment (DPS), nor a diagnosable conservation unit, but rather a sink colonized by regional source populations.
著者
Naoki Tomita Yuichi Mizutani Philip N Trathan Yasuaki Niizuma
出版者
The Ornithological Society of Japan
雑誌
ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:13470558)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.14, no.1, pp.3-11, 2015 (Released:2015-02-18)
参考文献数
46
被引用文献数
8

Various seabird foraging strategies during the non-breeding season have recently been revealed by combining the use of bio-logging devices and the study of stable isotopic signatures (δ15N and δ13C) from various tissues. In this study, we used these combined methods to determine the relationships between stable isotopic signatures in Black-tailed Gulls Larus crassirostris primary feathers and the areas in which the feathers are presumed to have been grown. The fifth primary (P5) feathers are replaced during late August, and although the migratory movements for seven of the eight gulls studied during this replacement period differed, the isotopic δ15N and δ13C values were similar. These values indicated that the seven gulls fed on a wide range of prey from krill to demersal fish species. The isotopic values from P5 for the individual gull that moved southward after breeding, were much higher than for the seven other birds. In contrast, all eight gulls showed a relatively narrow distribution during the replacement of their outermost primaries (P10), which were replaced during mid October and November. However, the isotopic values from P10 of the individual that moved southward during replacement of P5 were also much higher. The unique isotopic values of this gull might indicate specialization in anthropogenic food resources or high trophic level resources through the migration period, regardless of location. Contrary to previous studies, our research did not detect links between migratory movements and stable isotopic signatures from feathers in Larus gulls migrating through a relatively narrow range and having considerable individual variation in diet.