OCCURRENCE AND MORTALITY OF SEABIRDS ALONGTHE NORTHERN COAST OF BAHIA, AND THE

IDENTIFICATION KEY OF THE PROCELLARIIFORMESORDER AND THE STERCORARIIDAE FAMILY

Pedro Cerqueira LimaRolf Grantsau

Rita de Cássia Ferreira da Rocha Lima Sidnei Sampaio dos Santos

September, 2004Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

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OCCURRENCE AND MORTALITY OF SEABIRDS ALONG THE NORTHERNCOAST OF BAHIA, AND THE IDENTIFICATION KEY OF THE

PROCELLARIIFORMES ORDER AND THE STERCORARIIDAE FAMILY

Pedro Cerqueira Lima¹*; Rolf Grantsau²**; Rita de Cássia Ferreira da Rocha Lima; Sidnei Sampaio dos Santos¹¹Cetrel S/A Empresa de Proteção ambiental do Pólo Petroquímico de Camaçari, Via Atlântica Km 9 Interligação Estrada do

Coco - CEP 42810000 - Camaçari - Bahia. Email: pedro@cetrel.com.br² Rua das Macieiras, 43 – Terra Nova, CEP 09820 570 – São Bernardo do Campo, SP.Email:topaza@ig.com.br

*Photos; **drawing and key.

ABSTRACT

The objectives of this research paper are as follows:1) the study of the mortality phenomenon along the northern coast of the state of Bahia;2) the identification of the species participating in this phenomenon;3) the development of adequate techniques to recover debilitated birds;4) the establishment of migratory routes;5) to inform coastal communities of the importance of preserving seabirds through theimplementation of the Environmental Education Program developed by CETREL(Environmental Protection Company of the Petrochemical Complex of Camaçari).Firstly, the dead and/or debilitated birds were collected from the shores of Bahia andautopsied or treated and subsequently banded and set free. The dead birds were dissected inorder to identify the probable cause of death. The autopsies performed in samples of 100specimens showed that the skin of 89.5% of the birds was in bad condition, 68.75% of themhosted endoparasites, 41.6% were found with plastic material in their intestinal system and33.3% had an icteric liver. The birds were submitted to biometrical studies and then stuffed,depending on the conditions of the carcass. Thirty birds were captured that had been bandedin several countries, among them: Portugal (18), Brazil (8), Spain (2), USA (1) and SouthShetland Islands in Argentina (1). In 1994, due to an oil spill along the Brazilian coast,approximately 10,000 birds of 21 species were killed, averaging 23,4 birds per kilometer.From 1994 to 1999, our team identified 43 species involved in the mortality phenomenon,three of them being new occurrences in Brazil: Calonectris edwardsii, Pelagodroma marinahypoleuca, and Phalacrocorax bransfieldensis, in the state of Bahia, besides 21 otherspecies: Phoebetria fusca, Phoebetria palpebrata, Fulmarus glacialoides, Daption capense,Pterodroma incerta, Pterodroma mollis, Pachyptila vittata, Pachyptila belcheri, Pachyptiladesolata, Procellaria conspicillata, Procellaria cinerea, Puffinus puffinus, Fregetta tropica,Oceanites oceanicus, Oceanodroma leucorhoa, Catharacta chilensis, Catharactaantarctica, Catharacta maccormicki, Stercorarius pomarinus, Stercorarius parasiticus eStercorarius longicaudus

Key Words: Seabird; mortality; occurrence, Bahia, Brazil.

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INTRODUCTION

The death-rate of seabirds along the northern coast of the state of Bahia and on thebeaches of Salvador and Itaparica Island have been extensively studied by the team associatedwith the study and preservation of CETREL, the environmental treatment plant forPolopetrochemical Industrial Complex over the past 17 years, but the investigations becamemore intense from 1994 to 1999. In principle, the mortality phenomenon is related to severalcauses, although undernourishment is certainly the most important, especially during the rainyseason (April to August). In this period a great number of birds are found dead or debilitatedalong the Bahian shore. The majority of species collected during the survey was birdsmigrating from places where they were born, while some had been accidentally “pushed” ontothe continent by storms. Some migrants traveled from Europe, Africa, North America, thesouth of South America and Antarctica. During the rainy season strong winds create a seriesof problems for the migrant birds to get food (fish, octopus or plankton) and the migrants endup dead or half dead on the beach. Some of the specimens were autopsied to diagnose thecause of death. The stomach of the great majority of the dead birds were completely emptyand the dreadful state of their skin suggested undernourishment . The data gathered on thissubject indicate that, in reality, starvation is one of the major factors of mortality in thisregion. The fishermen living along the coast of Bahia generally give names to these birds suchas “southern birds”, “ship-crashers”, “patão”, “lôlô” and “garapiau.” The first two are relatedto the incidence of storms. If these birds are spotted near the coast, the fishermen refuse to goout fishing and if they are already in open sea fishing, they return home immediately.

AREA OF STUDY AND METHODOLOGY

From 1994 to 1999, the phenomenom of seabird mortality was through beach-patrolsalong Itaparica Island (1994-1995), Salvador, Lauro de Freitas, Camaçari and the northerncoast of Bahia (Praia do Forte to Mangue Seco), a 240 km seashore strip. From 1994 to 1999,occasional patrols were conducted in otherareas, such as the municipalities ofCandeias and Madre de Deus, theRecôncavo region, Valença, Ituberá andBaixo Sul, expanding the monitored area afurther 7,000 km.

Seabirds found dead were collectedto avoid double counts. The corpses wereplaced in a plastic bag and stored in afreezer for posterior identification. Thefollowing equipment helped theimplementation of biometric studies andautopsies of the dead birds: Mitutoyotachometers (200-300mm), Crowdynamometers (500-1,000g), analyticalscale (5kg), rulers (50-100cm), NikonFM2 cameras equipped with 58 and 300mm lenses, a Panasonic SVHS camcorder,SVHS tapes (two-hour), Fujichrome filmfor slides, Zeiss binoculars (10x40) and aGPS (Global Positioning System). Area (red) of study.

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To study the weather conditions in wintertime, Cetrel's Air Monitoring Network wasused. This network, based in Arembepe provides data concerning on wind direction andspeed, rainfall, temperature and barometric pressure.

Some autopsied and birds had their viscera stored in 10% formaldehyde solution forposterior histopathological analysis. Autopsies were made by the Veterinary Hospital of theFederal University of Bahia.

The disclosure of information was publicised through CETREL’s EnvironmentalEducation Program, with lectures, film exhibitions, posters and announcements displayed inschools and commercial places, as well as in fishing communities.

The Salvador Zoo and wildlife agencies (mainly IBAMA) sent some live birds to beexamined and treated at CETREL’s wildlife recovery center. Those birds underwent arehabilitation process that lasted an average of 15 days. Birds were fed twice daily with fish orsquid and were given a daily suplement (15 drops) of Vitamin B. Also, the birds were given apiperazine-based vermifuge drug and underwent physiotherapy sessions in a nearby beach(Lima, 1996).

Collected specimens are housed in the Rolf Grantsau (RG) and Museu de CiênciasNaturais da CETREL (Cetrel's Natural Science Museum)(MCNC).

RESULTS

During the 1994 beach-patrols 3,487 birds of 21 species and 5 families were found(Table 1) along seven months (June to December). However, in 1995 during the monitoringactivities only 615 birds were found, although the monitoring period had been extended tonine months (March to November). Those birds belonged to 11 species and five families. Twoadditional species, not found the previous year, were recorded in 1995: Oceanites oceanicus(Hydrobatidae) and Sula leucogaster (Sulidae), totaling 25 species distributed among 7families identified from 1994 to 1995. Table 1 shows the number of seabird occurrences in1994 and 1995, which totaled 4,102 birds.

The difference in seabird numbers found between the years suggests some unusualfactors, probably an oil spill (see below), caused the large 1994 mortality (Fig. 1 and 2).

In 1995, 494 specimens of Calonectris d. borealis were identified before thebeginning of the rainy season (from April to August) and, the birds were found along theBahian coast, from March to August, a longer period compared to previous years. No recordof this subspecies was made in March 1994 which proves the duration on the Bahian coasthad been extended. According to the data collected in 1994 and 1995, the two majoroccurrences involving the death of Calonectris d. borealis and Puffinus gravis, mostlyrecently fledged birds, corresponded to 89.2% of seabirds found in 1994, and 92.2% in 1995,which showed the greater vulnerability of these species to the climactic factors probably dueto their young age.

A total of 54 debilitated birds were rehabilitaded and released using the techniquesdeveloped by Lima, P.C. (1996), which consisted of appropriate diet sometimes even forceddown the throat of the bird, physiotherapy in sea water and ingestion of vermifuge drugs andVitamin B emulsion. Within the period 10 to 15 days, the birds returned to their normalweight and physiologic functions (Table 4). The weight of one Puffinus gravis improvedfrom 470gr when it arrived to 720gr after fifteen days of treatment. The recovered birds werebanded and set free 4km from the coast (Table 8). Puffinus gravis responded better totreatment, while the C. d. borealis was much more delicate, with 66.67 % and 5.56 % survivalrates, respectively. Through banding and the collection of biometrical data of dead birds, theteam found most species of Procellariidae had not been previously listed in the Brazilian

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Banding Organ (CEMAVE) manual. Therefore, it seems apparent that the bird-bandingrecords should be extended to all 23 (Table 9).

In 1996, 1,222 birds of 21 species (24 of them alive) were found, six of them beingnew occurrences in Bahia (Table 1). Five species were represented by banded individuals(Table 6) and Pelagodroma marina hypoleuca was a new record for Brazil.. Twenty-sixexamples of Pachyptila desolata and Pachyptila belcheri (Table 8) were rehabilitated andbanded. In 1996 the mortality figures were quite different. Pachyptila. P desolata and P.belcheri composed 61.8 % and 18.9 %, respectively of all records; while C. d. borealis andP. gravis corresponded to 9.74 % and 0.49 %, respectively (Table 1). Prions were found deadalong most of the Brazilian coast after one of the largest oil spills recorded in the country(Martuscelli et al., 1997).

In 1997 only 47 dead birds of four species were collected (Table 1). This smallquantity was due to the lack of time to monitor a larger stretch of the coast (only 400km ofshoreline was inspected). It was assumed that in 1997 the seabird mortality rate wasinsignificant since no bird were delivered by the communities, IBAMA or EnvironmentalPolice to CETREL.

In 1998, 478 dead birds were found, eight of them banded (Tab. 6.): three C. d.borealis from Portugal; two Sula dactylatra, two Anous stolidus and one Sterna eurygnathahad Brazilian bands. One Spheniscus magellanicus and three Puffinus griseus wererehabilitated and banded. In 1998, the percentage of C. d. borealis, (79.7 %) and P. gravis(13.8 %) was similar to that of 1994 and 1995, respectively. One specimen of C. chilensiswas found for the first time documented in northern Brazil, adding to the six specimenscollected in the 19th century (Silva e Silva et al., 2002). It is worth mentioning that a S.magellanicus was found debilitated and weighing approximately 1.5 kg. The bird wasrehabilitated, banded and sent to Santa Catarina to be set free, its weight having reached 3.0kg.

A total of 170 birds of 20 species were found from April to December 1999 (Table.1).A highlight concerned the presence of three dead and decomposed Phoebetria palpebratabetween July and August. The team also collected 41 C. d. borealis 24.1% of all records; 31Procellaria a. aequinoctialis 18.2% of all records; 25 Puffinus gravis 14.7% of all records;and 23 Diomedea chlororhynchos 13.5% of all records. As to the S. magellanicus species,the team captured (4) penguins (2 dead and 2 alive) that were taken to the Zoo in Salvador.Also in 1999, another species was added to the state bird list when four carcasses of Daptioncapense were found. The Table 7 shows the morphological data on bird skins in specimens that are in theRolf Grantsau (RG) and Museu de Ciências Naturais da CETREL (MCNC) collections,showing the variations existing within each species.

The Table 5 shows the morphological data on the species that were more involved inthe mortality phenomenon, as well as abundant data on the C. d. borealis species.

The Table 3 shows the weight of birds deposited in the RG and MCNC collections.

INFLUENCE OF THE CLIMATE IN THE MORTALITY PHENOMENON

The mean temperature in the municipality of Camaçari is 25 oC and the mean rainfall,approximately 1,700 mm. In 1998, the mean temperature was 24.9 oC and the annualaccumulated precipitation amounted to 1426.4mm. The latter, compared to the regularstatistics, shows an unforeseen drought 1998. Most rainfall in the region was concentrated inMay and June. The highest value monthly amount was 320.4 mm in June, an increase of 39.6mm compared to June 1997. A summary of the meteorological parameters in the ArembepeStation from January to September 1995 to 1998 show barometric pressure (mBarr) and

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humidity (%) increased from April through August; temperatures decreased from April toAugust, precipitation (mm) increased from April to July and wind speed (m/s) increasedfrom April to August.

It was observed that from 1996 to 1998, the wind reached speeds greater than 5.5 m/sand up to 6.0 m/s, from May through July. The rainy period from May thru September in1995 to 1998 (Fig. 3), recorded the highest rainfall (963.5 mm) in 1995 and 1998 (1129.3mm), while the lowest precipitation (745.9 mm) occurred in 1997. Regarding the total amountof precipitation from 1995 to 1998, the opposite occurred the lowest annual precipitationtotaled 1444.4 mm in 1998, while the highest precipitation recorded amounted to 1958.8 mmin 1996. As to the wind direction, between the first and second trimesters from 1995 thru1998, the direction of the wind was East/Southeast/Southeast; in the fourth trimester thedirection of the wind was East/Northeast /Northeast. This behavior of the wind resulted fromthe position of an anticyclone, whose center moved upward to the north of the state of Bahiain that period, changing the wind direction in the fourth trimester, in accordance with thenormal climate regime of the region. In 1997, the picture changed dramatically due to the ElNiño phenomenon, which disturbs the normal conditions of the weather. Data gathered byCETREL’s Air Monitoring Network support the understanding of the mortality phenomenonof seabirds in the north coast of Bahia. The high rate of precipitation concentrated in thecritical period of the year (May/ September) associated with strong winds moving from thesea towards the continent, also influenced significantly the death rate phenomenon (Fig.3).The winter of 1999 was very atypical, compared to the winter of preceding years, due to thelow intensity cold fronts of the south that kept coming to the coast of Bahia and the speed ofwinds of approximately 6 km/s. The total rainfall that amounted to 707mm was consideredlow in the critical period (May/September). Nevertheless, in the middle of August, a hugeclimatic change took place, the highest rates of rainfall were recorded and the wind speedreached 39.6 km/h (11m/s) at 4:00 a.m. on August 17,1999. In this month the rainfall reached180 mm. In only five days, from August 4th to 19th, it rained 121.5 mm which represented67.5 % of the month (Fig. 3). As a consequence, the heavier rainfall and stronger winds wereconcentrated in a short period in the middle of August, causing the death of 45 birds betweenAugust 21st to 25th , corresponding to 25.0 % of all bird deaths in that year.

DISCUSSION

Several factors may affect the number of seabirds found dead or weakened along thecoast, which could include the climactic conditions and pollution. Nevertheless the climateseems to have the greater impact on birds. Along the coast of Bahia, although the weatherconditions remained more or less the same as in previous years, the amount of rain andintensity of wind increased during the April to August period, the result of northbound coldfronts that constantly came from the south and upward to the coast of the state, from 1995 to1998 (Fig. 3).

These climactic variations substantially influenced seabird mortality, since thepercentage of deaths depends largely on weather conditions. During the studies carried out bythe team between 1982 and 1999, he only year that could be referred to as atypical was 1994.The high mortality was caused by the accident involving an oil tanker from Nigeria, in May,1994 (data provided by Petrobrás) that resulted in a large oil spill that flooded the coast ofSalvador and extended northward along the coast of Bahia.

During the study period of 1994-1999, 23 new species were recorded for Bahia, threeof them being new occurrences in Brazil (Table 1). Twenty-nine banded birds were alsocollected, 19 of them C. d. borealis, 11 from Selvagem Grande island in Portugal, and two

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from the Canary Islands, Spain, a recovery rate of 1 band for every 181 C. d. borealis found.Also, one Phalacrocorax bransfieldensis banded in the South Shetlands Islands (Antarctica)and two Sterna hirundo, one banded in Portugal, and another in the USA were found (Table6).

Most of the birds found dead were Calonectris d. borealis (Table 1). In 1994 thehighest death rate (68.2%) was also associated with this species (3447 specimens), 80.5 % in1995 and totaling 2874 in both years, averaging 57.2 % in 1994 and 1999. The causes of thisapparent greater vulnerability are probably linked to the young age of the majority collectedbirds (most were fledglings in their first migration) and their inexperience in finding foodunder adverse situations such as stormy seas. This was evident by the state ofundernourishment of the birds taken to the recovery center and their high death rate comparedto the much more resilient Puffinus gravis. Yet despite this comparative resistence, thePuffinus gravis was the second species in terms of overall death rate (740 specimens) whichcorresponded to 21 % of all birds in 1994 and 11.7 % in 1995. The total number of specimensin these two years was 812 so the average death rate as a percentage of the total was 15.3 %from 1994 to 1999. The third commonest species among wrecked birds was Pachyptiladesolata, found only in 1994 and 1996, but averaging 14.4 of all collected specimens. Theirregular pattern of occurrence of this species and its dominance in 1996 (when it perished innumbers along most of the Brazilian coast) suggest it is vulnerable to special conditions(perhaps storms associated with malnutrition) occurring in irregular periods. Nevertheless, itdiffers a lot from many species involved with the mortality phenomenon (Table1).

In 1994, the recuperation rate of birds taken for rehabilitation was significant. One D.chlororhynchos (1.200 g), one C. d. borealis (420 g) and one P. gravis (320 g) wereadmitted underweight at the center but soon regained normal weight (Table 4). Afterrecovery, they were banded and set free. One (1) P. gravis that had been previouslyrecuperated and banded by the CETREL team in 1994 (R 17090), was collected dead byAdriano Paiva in Praia do Forte, May, 1999, thus proving the effectiveness of themethodology used to recuperate debilitated birds. This finding also showed that the migratoryroute of this species is the same year after year.

In 1995 results were not so good. Due to the high level of debilitation,birds taken tothe rehabilitation center had no chance of survival. Out of nine birds that arrived alive, eightwere C. d. borealis and survived only a couple of hours and one was P. gravis that survivedfive days. Post-mortem examination showed empty stomachs, a few polyethylene nibs andsome endoparasites in the small intestines. The state of the skin was bad, although the organswere preserved, and thus differed greatly from the 1994 autopsies, which showed a significantamount of plastic in the intestines, as well as remains of octopus and many parasites. Thelivers of the birds icteric and the skin, in the great majority of the birds (approximately89.5%), was already in a state of decomposition.

Figure 1 shows the ratio of birds affected by the 1994 oil spill. Comparing datagathered in 1994 with the information provided in 1995, it can be concluded that the mortalityrate in 1995 was not as significant as in previous years (Figure 2). In 1994, the mainmortality factors were pollution and malnutrition caused by bad weather. In 1995, the cause ofdeath was attributed to natural weather conditions in the region. Both were considered normal,as compared to the standard death rates of previous surveys.

Investigations undertaken along the coast of Rio Grande do Sul from July 1997 to July1998 over a distance of 3000 km and specimens were randomly selcted to investigate stomachcontent. In 13 months, 7690 specimens were collected among 18 different species. 81% ofthose were S. magellanicus, 19% were Procellatiiformes. The cause of death for 812 was oiland 507 deaths came from activity related to fishing. It can be surmised that crude oil, fishingactivity and injestion of man made products were the main causes of death. (Petry and

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Fonseca, 2002)Our surveys have also shown that the fishermen of the continental platform of the

Brazilian coast, are responsible for seabirds deaths, although it has not been possible yet toestimate the exact figure. Many birds were found with hooks in their digestive system or hadfractured wings and tarsi from blows caused by fishermen because they consider these birdsprejudicial to their fishing, they gather around fishing boats to eat the baits.

The causes of death in 1995 to 1999 coincide with data taken in the years preceding1994, thus confirming that the great level of malnutrition is the principal factor for birdmortality along the Brazilian coast. The effects of pollution caused by oil spills can be easilydemonstrated: the oil sticks to the bird feathers gluing them together. Consequently the birdcannot fly or float and is washed onto the beach. Also, the oil is absorbed by the skin andingested when the bird tries to clean its plumage, thus causing irreversible damage to thestomach, intestinal system, liver and kidneys (Vooren e Fernandes, 1989).

Another significant factor related to pollution was discussed by an article published byVEJA on July 28, 1976 (Catela, 1976), focusing the hundreds of birds found dead along 35km of the Bahia shoreline, between Arembepe and Boca do Rio, near the city of Salvador.This article demonstrated a particular ignorance concerning the real names of the speciesinvolved in the phenomenon and on the causes of such a high-scale mortality. In the article,birds of the order Procellariidae are initially referred simply as “ terns” and afterward as“royal terns”. At first, the principal culprit for this ecological disaster was attributed to thetitanium plant (TIBRAS) that disposed of its sulfuric acid and ferrous sulfate waste into thesea. But a post mortem examination carried out by Newton Paes Coelho, veterinarian of theBiological Institute of Bahia specializing in domesticated birds, concluded that none of thebirds involved in that specific phenomenon was poisoned or had suffered any other type ofintoxication. Therefore, the phenomenon described in that article differs completely from theinvestigations carried out by othe CETREL team on the subject of local phenomenon of thiskind.

Our studies have shown that seabird deaths are not restricted to some parts of thecoast, but included all the northern coast of the state of Bahia, some beaches of Salvador andthe coastal strip of Itaparica Island, besides the south shores of the state where we also carriedout surveys The death finding of dead seabirds in the Bahia region increases during the rainyseason (Table 2.) From April to August the number of occurrences increases significantly,peaking between May and July, mostly because of specimens of C. d. borealis.

Theresults show that C. d. borealis occurs off the Bahia coast throughout the wholeyear with migrant birds arriving in numbers in November. In an oceanographic campaigncarried out off Mangue Seco in February 1998, several C. d. borealis were found 20 milesoff the coast, following some fishing boats.

COMPARATIVE DATA OF THE STUDIES CARRIED OUT IN PORTUGAL ANDBAHIA

To better understand C. diomedea borealis wrecks in Brazil, Lima visited theSelvagem Grande, Desertas and Madeira islands (Portugal) in October 1996, together with agroup of Portuguese researchers in charge of investigating the behavior and bird banding ofthe seabirds breeding sites. In this period, 548 young birds of the C. diomedea borealisspecies were banded with Portuguese bands, out of the 3000 birds banded every year; thedead birds collected were found in several places and locations on the islands, for exampleinside the nests. Thus, it was possible to find four (4) bands of adult birds of the C. diomedeaborealis subspecies (Selvagem Grande Island), one specimen banded with L 46845 on

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September15, 1995 and the other with the L 051372 band, on September 2, 1994. Bothindividuals probably died before leaving the island, because young birds never return to thebreeding site before four or five years. In addition, the young birds would have to be overseven to be ready for reproduction (Zino, 1985). Two other dead birds were collected: onebanded with a L 29665 band in September, 1988 and the other banded with a T 1753 band in1970, the latter being one of the oldest records ever found (Zino, personal information). In thestudies carried out in Bahia, wit was discovered via post mortem examinations that the liverof the C. diomedea borealis birds was icteric (orange color). In two autopsies executed inyoung C. diomedea borealis birds collected in the Selvagem Grande Island, the liver of thebirds presented normal color (intense red), thus confirming the hypothesis that malnutrition isthe principal cause of death among birds. For the first time, the Larus argentatus species wasconsidered as predator of young C. diomedea borealis. In Portugal, autopsies executed in fourspecimens of this species detected the presence of a young C. diomedea borealis banded inthe stomach of one of the Larus argentatus individuals. In 1998, three (3) C. diomedeaborealis were collected dead in the northern coast of Bahia, banded during the 1996campaign: L 056734, 035859 and L060135. Similar studies are being carried out along thePortuguese coast (320 km), at the start of the European winter (October through March).These surveys began in 1982 and are carried out every year as an aid to scientific research andto establish concrete conservation measures. During the 1990/91 campaigns, 281 bodies ofbirds were identified, but only one C. diomedea borealis, one P. griseus and one P. puffinuswere collected at that time (Granadeiro, 1991). A comparative study also realized along 5,330km of the Portuguese coast (Granadeiro et al, 1997) between 1990 and 1996, confirmed thedeath of 2,660 birds belonging to 39 species. A comparison of the results of these studies withthe surveys carried out along the northern coast of Bahia, plus the listing of the most commonbirds involved in the mortality phenomenon in these two regions, led to the conclusion that:C. diomedea borealis represents 0.41% (11) and 57.2 % (3447), P. gravis, 0.15% (4) and15.3% (922), P. griseus 0.15% (4) and 0.38 % (23), P. puffinus 0.15% (4) and 0.51 % (31),S. fuscata 9.1% (242) and 0.13% (8), S. hirundo 0.15 % (4) and 0.12% (7). These figuresshow that out of the six species studied in these two countries, the C. diomedea borealis andP. gravis species represent the higher rates in Bahia, and the S. fucata species in Portugal.Therefore, these two species are more common during southern hemisphere winter, than inthe winter in Portugal.

SEABIRD PREDATORS

The major predators of birds are dogs, cats and foxes (Dusicyon sp), Yellow-headedcaracara (Milvago chimachima), the crested caracara (Caracara plancus) that capture theliving or recently dead birds. The Black vulture (Coragyps atratus), the Turkey vulture(Cathartes aura) and the Lasser yellow-headed vulture (Cathartes burrovianus) aredecomposed birds eaters. The Ocypode albicans crab sometimes builds its dwelling near thedecomposing birds, in order to get food. It is quite common for a crab to pull out the tarsus ofa bird. Smaller species such as Pachyptila sp. are almost totally decimated by crabs.

LIST OF SPECIES AND COMMENTS

SPHENISCIDAE

Magellanic Penguin - Spheniscus magellanicus (Forster, 1781). A male specimen wascollected on Itapoã beach (12° 55' 02" S, 38° 21' 10" W) in June 1998, debilitated and

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weighing 1.5 kg. The specimen underwent treatment over a period of 15 days, and afterrecovery weighed 3.0 kg. The bird was then banded and sent by plane to Rio Grande do Sulto be set free. In the winter of 1999, two specimens of this species were captured live on thebeaches of Salvador. Both were taken to the Salvador Zoo. In August, 1999, two youngspecimens were collected in an advanced stage of decomposition. In 2001, another specimenwas captured and banded and delivered to Santa Catarina fully recovered

DIOMEDEIDAE

Black-Browed Albatross - Diomedea melanophrys (Temminck, 1828). Ninespecimens were collected from 1994 to 2001 and are housed in the MCNC (Museum ofNatural Sciences of Cetrel): two skeletons, one beak and two skins.

Yellow-Nosed Albatross- Diomedea chlororhynchos chlororhynchos (Gmelin,1789). Souza (1999) lists this species as a new occurrence for Bahia based on supposedspecimens collected between 1990 and 1992. From 1994 to 1999, 37 specimens werecollected by the CETREL team. Seven skins and four skeletons were deposited in the MCNCcollection,. A female collected on17 July, 1994 in Salvador (12° 55' S, 38° 21' W), in the RG9496 collection. In 2001, five other specimens were collected and placed in the MCNCcollection.

Shy Albatross - Diomedea cauta (Gould, 1841) is a visitor to the Peruvian, Chileanand Argentinian coasts The bird's first register in Brazil was of a female specimen found deadin Mostardes on the Rio Grande do Sul coast in April 1990 (Petry et al, 1991). In Septemberof 2003 a specimen of the bird was found on Poços Beach, in the municipality of Conde (12°33' S, 38° 00'53) on the Bahian coast (Lima et al., 2004).

Sooty Albatross - Phoebetria fusca (Hilsenberg, 1822). A young male specimen(MCNC 28) was collected on 3 March, 1996, in Salvador (12° 55' S, 38° 21' W). This is thesecond exemplar collected in Brazil, the first one being from São Paulo (Willis & Oniki1985). A third specimen was collected in the state of Rio Grande do Sul on 5 December,1996(Roman, 1998).

Light-mantled Sooty Albatross - Phoebetria palpebrata (Forster, 1785) – Fiveindividuals have ben collected in Bahia: one (skin, RG 9511) found on 31, August 1994 onBaixios beach (12° 03’ 37” S, 37° 44’ 36” W). The skeleton of a second specimen wascollected on Subaúna beach (12° 13' 15" S, 37° 50' 07" W) on 28 August, 1994 and prepared,without the skull, by Werner Bokermann, who kept it in his private collection. The skull(Figure 4) is in the RG collection. The third specimen was found on Itaparica Island, Bahia,on 7 June, 1996 (Sampaio and Castro, 1998). Sampaio and Castro (1998) reached theconclusion that the specimen was an adult, because it lacked beige tips on the head and bodyfeathers, describing the bird as uniformly gray, a description that generates confusion becauseno Phoebetria is uniformly gray. Phoebetria fusca is the only species that has an almostuniform color, a soot-like dark gray.

Between June and August 1999, three specimens were collected on the beaches of thenorthern coast of Bahia. All three of them were in an advanced state of decomposition,although the wings, skull and parts of the body were deposited in the MCNC.

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PROCELLARIIDAE

Antarctic Fulmar - Fulmarus glacialoides (Smith, 1840). A specimen (RG 9497) wascollected in Mangue Seco, (11° 27' S, 37° 27' W) on 16 July, 1994. This species may be avery common casuality along beaches in Rio Grande do Sul, (Vooren e Fernandes, 1989;Petry & Fonseca, 2002). In Bahia, only a single specimen was collected.

Cape Petrel - Daption capense (Linnaeus, 1758). It was found only in 1999, after anAugust downpour when 4 specimens of this species were found dead on the beach inBuraquinho, municipality of Lauro de Freitas, and Praia de Guarajuba, in the municipality ofCamaçari, and on the beach of Madre de Deus. Three skins and a skeleton are in the MCNCcollection. These are the first records from Bahia.

Hooded or Atlantic Petrel - Pterodroma incerta (Schlegel, 1863). Thirty-sixindividuals were collected: three individuals are deposited in the Werner Bokermanncollection, two (2) specimens collected in June 1994 in northern Bahia, are in the RGcollection (RG 9485 and 9486, both male); a skull collected by Fernando Pinto on 9 July,1985 in Maceió (Alagoas) is also in the RG collection (RG9072), a skin is in the MCNC (N574) collection and a skeleton was collected at Praia do Forte (12° 33' S, 38° 00' W) onNovember 2, 1998.

Kerguelen Petrel - Pterodroma brevirostris (Lesson, 1831). A male specimen (RG9480) was collected in Arembepe (12° 43’ 29” S, 38° 10’ 45” W) on 15 July 1994. This is thethird specimen found in Brazil. The first was found in Salvador in September 1985 and is inthe National Museum collection (Teixeira et al., 1985) The second specimen was collected on1 October 1986 on Cassino beach, Rio Grande do Sul, (Vooren e Fernandes, 1989).

Soft-plumaged Petrel - Pterodroma mollis mollis (Gould, 1844). Two individuals ofthis species are deposited in the RG collection: a female (RG 9573) collected in Porto Sauípe(12° 21' S, 37° 54' W) on 5 August, 1996 and one male (RG 9645) collected in Lauro deFreitas (12° 55’ S, 21° 10’ W) on 10 September, 1996. Six individuals are deposited in theMCNC, three (3) collected in September 1996 and three (3) collected in 1999 in northernBahia. Elsewhere in Brazil there are also three (3) specimens that were collected by Voorenat Cassino beach (Rio Grande do Sul) on September 19, 1984 and October 2,1984 and a thirdone collected in 1987. In the state of Paraná, an individual was collected on May 30,1994 atthe Atami Resort (Krul and Moraes, 1994).

Broad-billed Prion - Pachyptila vittata (Forster, 1777). A skull belonging to thisspecies was found in 1996 amid other prion bones, but it was. There is also a specimen fromCassino beach (Rio Grande do Sul), found in October 1979 (Belton, 1982). The skin of thisspecimen was prepared and exhibited to Rolf Grantsau, who confirmed the identification, butlater was lost. A specimen of this species, apparently the sole documented record of thisspecies in Brazil, was collected on Atami beach, Paraná, on 14 May, 1994 (Krul andMoraes,1994).

Dove Prion - Pachyptila desolata (Gmelin, 1789). Two skins (RG 9482: male, RG9483 female), were collected in June 1994 in the northern coast of Bahia. Six skeletonscollected on 8 May, 1994 between Salvador and Mangue Seco, are in the Werner Bokermanncollection. Two specimens in the National Museum collection (MN 33449 male, 33450female) were collected in July 1984 in Salvador, by Sônia Riqueira. We have 11 specimens in

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the MCNC collection, collected from the beaches between Salvador and Mangue Seco. InJuly 1996, thousands of P. belcheri and P. desolata died in the stretch along the north ofParaná, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (Martuscelli et al., 1997). This phenomenon occurred inthe south and proceeded upwards to the north of Brazil. In Bahia, 986 individuals of bothspecies were collected..

Slender-Bille de Prion - Pachyptila belcheri (Mathews, 1912). Souza (1999) listedthis species as a new occurrence in Bahia, after one individual spotted flying offSalvador1998. It is difficult to be certain of this report, three species of prions occur in Bahia,and it would be hardly possible to just one bird flying over an open sea. An individual (RG9484) was collected in June 1994 in northern Bahia. There are also three individuals in theMCNC collection, collected between 1994 and 1996, from the northern coast of Bahia. Thereare many records from São Paulo and in Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul(Vooren e Fernandes, 1989; Martuscelli et al., 1997).

White-Chinned Petrel - Procellaria aequinoctialis aequinoctialis. (Linnaeus, 1758).In the MCNC collection, three skins of this species are kept; six in the RG collection and fourskeletons in the Werner Bokermann collection. Two individuals are outstanding, because theydo not have a white spot on the chin: the male specimen collected in Mangue Seco on July 4,1994 which is in the RG collection (RG 9542) (CG 9542, Fig. 5) and the second specimencollected at Praia do Forte, July 1999, of undetermined gender and deposited in the MCNCcollection (579). Specimens without the white spot on the chin from New Zealand have beenoriginally described as a distinctive form of P. a. steadi by Mathews (Birds of Australia Vol2, p110, 1912) but it is generally considered a synomim of P. a. aequinoctialis. CG 9495(Fig. 5) shows a typical white-chinned individual, the most common species among the deadspecimens collected.

White-Chinned Petrel - Procellaria conspicillata (Gould, 1844). One male specimen(RG 9491) was collected in Salvador (12° 55' S, 38° 21' W) on July 18, 1994 (CG 9491,Fig.5). Previously, in the same year, a live specimen was found in Salvador. The bird wassuccessfully rehabilitated and released.

Grey Petrel - Procellaria cinerea (Gmelin, 1789). One dead individual (MCNC 383)was collected in Mangue Seco (11° 27' S, 37° 27' W), in 1996. The skeleton, wing and tailfeathers and bill were preserved. There are only two other Brazilian records of this species;oneunsexed bird found on November, 1982 in Rio Grande do Sul (Vooren and Fernandes,1989), and another also from Rio Grande do Sul housed in the Herculano collection,(Alvarenga, personal communication).

Cory's Shearwater - Calonectris diomedea borealis (Cory, 1881). This species hasbeen recorded in 10 Brazilian states, state of Ceará being the farthest northward occurrencerecorded (Pacheco and Maciel, 1995). The species was observed in the state of SantaCatarina, in December 1973. A dead individual of this species was found in Garapaba beach(28° 10' S, 48 37' W) but besides its advanced state of decomposition and was preapred forscientific collection and placed in the Unisonos collection (304). At that time, the bird wasconsidered “peculiar” and sent to the Museum of Natural History in Washington (Silva,1975).

Between 1994 and 1999, 19 bird bands of this species were collected: 17 fromPortugal, (mostly from Selvagem Grande) and two from Gran Canaria, Spain (Table 6). Thecollection of this species is estimated in approximately 57,2% of all birds collected from 1994

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to 1999. There are seven individuals in the RG collection and 6 specimens in the WernerBokermann collection. Three specimens were sent to the UNESP/Rio Claro collection andfour dead birds were delivered to Dante Teixeira to be placed in the National Museumcollection. In addition, six individuals were deposited in the Zoology Museum in São Paulo.The MCNC collection contains a further 37 specimens. Among the specimens in the MCNC,three present different characteristics: MCNC 491, of undetermined gender, collected fromthe northern coast of Bahia in May 1998, has a pale collar at the nape of the neck forming acomplete ring around the neck (MCNC 491, Fig.6); MCNC 453 (Fig. 6), a male collected inArembepe (12° 43’ 29” S, 38° 10’ 45” W) on August 8, 1998 displays a dark pectoral bandthat forms a well defined collar with 1.5cm width; MCNC 437 (Fig. 6) collected in Bahia inMay 8, 1998, displays a white field in its primaries, characteristic of the C. diomedeadiomedea subspecies, and laterally the breast displays a sort of drawing made with darkscales. CG 9489 (Fig. 6) shows a typical specimen, very common among the specimens founddead. We examined 17 individuals of the C. edwardsii species, 21 of the C. diomedeadiomedea subspecies and nine (9) of the C. diomedea borealis subspecies in the AmericanMuseum of Natural History in New York, besides 29 specimens of the C. diomedea borealissubspecies in the Funchal Museum (Portugal), in addition to all the individuals collected inthe bird banding campaigns we promoted from 1994 to 1999. Only three (3) individualsdisplayed significant differences. Among all the birds of this species that we collected, fourdead birds were found along the coast of Bahia and marked with picric acid. This type ofmark was used in the Selvagem Grande Island (Portugal) with the purpose of studying thebehavior of the species. When Lima visited this island in 1996 he found some carcasses of theC. diomedea borealis subspecies marked with this substance.

Cory's Shearwater - Calonectris edwardsii (Oustalet, 1883). Out of the 3,447Calonectris diomedea borealis individuals found dead from 1994 to 1999, two individuals ofthis species were collected: the first one was found decomposed in June 1995 at Praia doForte, measuring: bill- 43mm, wing - 285mm, tail - 125mm, tarsus - 44mm, total length -440mm, average toe with toenail - 57mm, spread - 970mm and weight; the second one wassent alive to IBAMA. This individual died but was not preserved (Lima et al, 2002). Themeasurements of this individual, while alive were as follows, thus indicating that it belongedto a subspecies: bill - 4,7mm, nose point - 3,9mm, head- 10,3mm, tarsus - 5,8mm, diameter ofthe tarsus - 0,6mm, wing - 31,0mm, total length - 48,0mm, tail -12,5mm, weight - 480 gr.

Greater Shearwater - Puffinus gravis (O´Reilly, 1818). In 1999, Souza via personalcommunication with Eduardo Albernaz, described the species as a new occurrence in Bahiabetween 1990/1992. This species ranks second in number of occurrences (Table 1). There arethree (3) specimens deposited in the RG collection: RG 9481 female, collected from the coastof Bahia in June 20, 1994; RG 9843, collected in Arembepe (12°43’29” S, 38°10’45” W) onMay 14, 1998; RG 10058, male, collected from the northern coast of Bahia on June 15,1994.Two specimens were placed in the Werner Bokermann collection; six in the Zoology Museumof São Paulo; two were delivered to Dante Teixeira and destined to the National Museum. Inthe MCNC collection, there are eight specimens. The presence of this species was detected inBahia, in 1982.

Sooty-Shearwater - Puffinus griseus (Gmelin, 1789). In 1999 Souza via personalcommunication with Edson Félix, described the species as a new occurrence in Bahia. Thereis one female specimen RG 9545 collected on November 10, 1995 from the coast of Bahia. Inthe MCNC collection there is a specimen (N 446) taken from the coast of Bahia on May 16,1998, undetermined gender; three specimens were found debilitated and were recovered,

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banded and set free.

Manx Shearwater - Puffinus puffinus (Brunnich, 1764). There is one specimen, afemale RG 9964, collected on 1 November, 1998 in Salvador (12° 55' S, 38° 21' W) and askeleton in the Werner Bokermann collection. Three specimens are part of the MCNCcollection (N138 – exposition/museum, MCNC N 545 female and MCNC N 546, ofundetermined gender, all collected from the northern coast of Bahia. A specimen wascaptured in 2002 which had been banded in Great Britain.

HYDROBATIDAE

Wilson' Storm-petrel - Oceanites oceanicus (Kuhl, 1820). One specimen was found,a skeleton with feathers, in Mangue Seco (11° 27' S, 37° 27' W) in 1997. In 1999, fivespecimens were collected, one was a female bird that was placed in the RG collection; a skinand three skeletons are deposited in the MCNC collection.

White-faced Storm-petrel - Pelagodroma marina hypoleuca (Moquin-Tandon, 1841).Only one specimen of this species was collected in Mangue Seco (11° 27' S, 37° 27' W) andan incomplete skin was deposited in the MCNC collection, N 124. (Lima et al, 2002) This isthe first record of this species in Brazil.

Black-bellied Storm-petrel - Fregetta tropica (Gould, 1844) Only one specimen ofthis species was collected, a skeleton with feathers in Mangue Seco (11° 27' S, 37° 27' W), in1997 and placed in the MCNC collection (N 576) Teixeira et al., (1988) reported that isolatedindividuals have been observed at a distance of 370km from the coast of Espírito Santo. M.V. Petry reported that he found one specimen of this species on the seashore some 23 kmfrom N de Pinhal, in September 1990. Its skull is placed in UNISINOS (Belton, 2000). Olmos(2000) summarized the records of this species in Brazil, the first specimen being collected offBahia by Sperling in 1855 and presently in the BMNH (The Berlin Museum of NaturalHistory) collection. The MCNC is the second specimen record from Brazil.

Leach's Storm-petrel - Oceanodroma leucorhoa (Vieillot, 1818). Only one specimenof this species was collected, a skeleton with feathers in Mangue Seco (11° 27' S, 37° 27' W),in 1997, but it was subsequently lost. There is only a photo of this specimen.

PHAETHONTIDAE

Red-billed Tropicbird - Phaethon aethereus aethereus (Linnaeus, 1758). Only onespecimen, female, was found in Mangue Seco (11° 27' S, 37° 27' W) in February 1997, with aserious injury in the head. It was deposited in the RG collection, RG 9608.

SULIDAE

Masked Booby - Sula dactylatra dactylatra (Lesson, 1831). Four specimens werecollected: 2 in 1994 and 2 in 1998. One specimen is in the RG collection and one malespecimen is part of the MCNC collection (N 544), collected on March 23, 1999 in Salvador(12° 55' S, 38° 21' W) and banded (Table 6).

Brown Booby - Sula leucogaster leucogaster (Boddaert, 1783). Two specimens wereprepared and deposited in the MCNC collection (N 187 and 188), one was banded (Table.6).

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PHALACROCORACIDAE

Antarctic Shag - Phalacrocorax bransfieldensis (Murphy, 1936). Only one specimenof this species was collected in Barra de Itariri, (11° 51' S, 37° 34' W) on the northern coast ofBahia by a businessman who removed the bird band and threw the bird away. The juvenilespecimen had been banded by Marco Favero of the Universidadd Nacional de Mar del Plata inPunta Armonía, Nelson Island, South Shetland Islands, Antartica, band AA 4765. This is thefirst register of this species in Brazil. (Lima et al. 2002)

FREGATIDAE

Magnificent Frigatebird - Fregata magnificens (Mathews, 1914). Two specimenswere collected, one of them alive, found on August 16, 1999. A curiosity about this finding isthe fact that this bird was found inland, in the west of Bahia, very far from the coast, in thecity of Bom Jesus da Lapa. This bird must have gone along the São Francisco River. Thestrong winds that occurred in that period were probably the reason of such displacement.During wintertime, these birds are very common along the coast of the state and they can beseen flying over the city of Salvador, approximately 5 to 10km from the coast. However, thissole specimen was the only one found throughout 17 years of research. The bird wasrecuperated, banded and set free twenty days later at Arembepe beach. The bird bands listedfor this species in CEMAVE’s bird-banding manual (U or V) are not adequate for this specieson account of their short tarsus. The bands are very wide (13mm) therefore they can causeserious damage to the bird’s joints. To band this bird it is necessary to manufacture a special13 mm diameter and 7 mm wide bird band. The MCNC collection has a specimen of thisspecies.

STERCORARIIDAE

Antarctic Skua - Catharacta antarctica antarctica (Lesson, 1831). One specimen,female was collected in Mangue Seco, on June 13, 1998, and placed in the RG collection (RG9989); one male specimen was found and collected in Salvador (12° 55' S, 38° 21' W) on June5, 1998 and deposited in the MCNC collection (N 576). This species was previously recordedin Bahia, in June 1982. At that time, a debilitated specimen was collected, recuperated and setfree. A specimen of this species was put in the ACEM 034 collection after being found in theGrajaú Resort, Paraná, on November 7, 1992.

Chilean Skua - Catharacta chilensis (Bonaparte, 1857) One specimen was collectedin Mangue Seco (11° 27' S, 37° 27' W) on May 29, 1998 in an advanced state ofdecomposition (Silva et al., 2002). The skeleton was prepared and deposited in theosteological collection of the MCNC 001: wing - 410mm, bill - 55mm, tarsus- 73mm, averagetoe with toenail - 83mm, head-110mm. This species is mentioned as an occurrence in Braziland was collected by Vooren in 1984 (Willis and Oniki, 1991), although the Ocean andCoastal Environmental Diagnosis on the South and Southeast Regions of Brazil carried out in1994 and supervised by Vooren does not register the occurrence of this species in Rio Grandedo Sul. A specimen found in June 1990, 76 km south of the Lagoa do Peixe (RS), is part ofthe collection at the Zoology Museum of UNISINOS. In 2001, one more specimen wascollected and placed in MCNC collection.

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South Polar Skua - Catharacta maccormicki (Saunders, 1893). Five specimens of thisspecies were collected from the northern coast of Bahia; two skins were collected in May 16,1998 and deposited in the MCNC collection (N 429 and N 580) and three skeletons are in theosteological collection of the MCNC (N 002, 003 and 004). The three Catharacta specimensrecorded and deposited in the RG and MCNC collections eliminate all doubts concerning theidentification of these species (Sick, 1985, 1987). On May 22, 2001, in the district of Laurode Freitas, Bahia, an individual banded with a German band was collected. The bird has beenbanded while still in the nest in Antarktis - Stat. Jubany (62° 45’ S, 58° 40’ W) on February 8,2001. The bird traveled a distance of 5718 km.

Artic Skua - Stercorarius parasiticus (Linnaeus, 1758). Eight specimens werecollected from 1994 to 1999. A skin is part of the Werner Bokermann collection and one ofthe MCNC collection (N 581). A dark-morph first-year (see Olson & Larsen 1994 for adescription) male (MCNC 581) was found dead on the beach on 11 November 1989 inMangue Seco (11° 23’S, 34° 33’W).

Long-tailed Skua - Stercorarius longicaudus (Vieillot, 1819). Only one partiallydecomposed specimen was found on Jauá beach on the northern coast of Bahia on June 3,1998; the skin was prepared and deposited in MCNC collection (N 573).

Pomarine Jaeger - Stercorarius pomarinus (Termminck, 1815). In 2000, twoindividuals were found in the Northern coast of Bahia and sent to the MCNC collection.

LARIDAE

Kelp Gull - Larus dominicanus (Lichtenstein, 1823). This species is listed in thisstudy only because one specimen was observed in Mangue Seco, in 1994. Nevertheless, thisspecies was not noted among the dead birds involved in the mortality phenomenon.

STERNIDAE

Common Tern - Sterna hirundo (Linnaeus, 1758). Two specimens were found dead,one was banded with a Portuguese band (G 5070); this was the first occurrence of birds of thisspecies found in Brazil, banded in Portugal and it displays the first documented east/westtransoceanic travel of this species (Lima, 1996; Monteiro et al, 1996; Hays et al 1999).During the banding survey carried out in Mangue Seco (11° 27' S, 37° 27' W) seven birdswere captured and banded by Monteiro in the Azores Archipelago. Monteiro also captured aS. hirundo banded by the CETREL team in Mangue Seco on June 8, 1997, when it wasfound in the nest. These findings strengthened evidence for the east/west transoceanicmovement of this species.

Arctic Tern - Sterna paradisaea (Pontoppidan, 1763). In 1994, three individuals ofthis species were collected from the northern coast of Bahia: two are part of the CG (9513)collection, one which was collected in Salvador in July 1994, and from Mangue Seco inAugust 1995 which is deposited in the RG collection (N 9547) the third is a female specimenthat was collected in Mangue Seco (11° 27' S, 37° 27' W) on August 3,1993 and was placed inthe MCNC collection (N 14).The banding activities regarding the family of Sternidae revealedthe presence of nine species. Nevertheless, the S. paradisaea species was found only as one ofthe species involved in the mortality phenomenon, thus confirming the theory that this speciesdoes not mix with other species resting overnight on the sand banks of Mangue Seco.

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Sooty Tern - Sterna fuscata (Linnaeus, 1766). Eight specimens were found along thenorthern coast of Bahia: two specimens are part of the RG collection (RG 9479) collected atPraia do Forte, on July 28, 1994 as well as RG 10010 collected on March 24, 1999 inArembepe. One specimen was prepared and deposited in the MCNC collection (N 344). Thisspecies, similar to the S. paradisaea specie has only been observed as one of the speciesinvolved in the mortality phenomenon. It was only in 1995 that an adult individual was seenresting in Mangue Seco, together with a group of birds of the family of Sternidae.

Roseate Tern - Sterna dougallii (Montagu, 1813). An individual of this species wascollected in February 1997, from the coast of the municipality of Lauro de Freitas (12° 55’02’’S, 21° 10’ W) this specimen being currently part of the MCNC collection. There is atheory about the east/west transoceanic movement of this species is similar to the S. hirundospecies movement. This hypothesis is also mentioned by Monteiro. This was confirmed bythe capture of a bird in Mangue Seco in 2000 that had been banded in Great Britain in 1999.(Hays et al, 2002) The studies developed together with Helen Hays of the American Museumof Natural History in New York, were aimed at proving this hypothesis.

Cayenne Tern - Sterna eurygnatha (Saunders, 1876) . One specimen of this specieswas collected on Itaparica Island and was placed in the MCNC collection.

Brown Noddy - Anous stolidus stolidus (Linnaeus, 1758). Twelve specimens of thisspecies were collected from 1994 to 1999 in northern Bahia; three specimens are deposited inthe RG collection: RG 9528 collected in Salvador on February 18, 1995; RG 9544 collectedfrom the northern coast of the state on October 10, 1995 and RG 9899 collected in Salvadoron May 24, 1998. Five specimens are in the MCNC collection, three of them were foundbanded (Table 6). Similarly to the S. paradisaea e S. fuscata species, this species does notmix with other species on the sand banks of Mangue Seco.

CONCLUSIONS

Along the coast of Bahia accidents involving oil spills seldom occur, but in 1994 therewas a terrible accident with a Nigerian oil tanker, when a huge amount of oil spilled out intothe sea, causing serious impact on the coastal environment with irreparable consequences, asproven by thousands of dead seabirds that were found along the shores of Bahia, Salvador andItaparica Island. Such a disaster had never been seen before by the scientific and localcommunities. It is mandatory that tankers and ships of foreign countries passing along thecoast or mooring in Bahian ports should be regularly inspected to avoid this type of accident.

During this study, Calonectris d. borealis accounted for most birds found on thebeach. The specimens were mostly young birds that left their nests from 3 months to one yearbefore dying in their first or second flight accross the Atlantic. This accounts for their frailty,chiefly when facing storms or sea pollution. The non-breeding adult birds of this species aremore experienced and have already gone through a lot of storms and are therefore notinvolved in the mortality phenomenon. Moreover, the adult birds in their reproduction cycleare safe from these perils on account of remaining in their breeding territories on SelvagemGrande Island (Portugal) and the Canary Islands (Spain). The beginning of the breeding cyclein March favors the birds that fly from the south of the American continent in search ofadequate breeding sites. During their flight to the islands where they will breed they do notface bad weather, because it is only in April that the rainy season starts in Bahia. After the

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breeding season, the birds return home in October heading south, because winter is beginningin the northern region.

The causes of mortality from 1994 to 1999 can be catalogued as pollution, starvationand “natural phenomena”: oil pollution and polyethylene ingestion; starvation from lack offood deriving from the pollution itself and/or lack of fish along the coast due to large-scalepredatory fishing in Bahia;

The discovery of 42 species recorded from 1994 to 1999 and involved in the mortalityphenomenon has contributed to a better knowledge of the principal factors that cause thisphenomenon and has extended significantly the list of species existent in the state of Bahia.Also, it has added four species to the listing of Brazilian species. Furthermore, through birdbanding it was possible to trace the migratory routes of the species involved in the mortalityphenomenon. The techniques developed to recuperate debilitated species and the bird bandingof the recuperated birds are good indicators, because these birds can be recuperated in theirbreeding territory. The specimens collected and deposited in the MCNC collection and otherBrazilian collections are good sources for consultation, because the great majority of thespecies are not well-represented in Brazilian collections, in either type or in the quantity ofspecies. The identification key for the Order of Procellariiformes included in this study isvery useful to prevent any kind of error, since it allows the correct identification of the speciesof this particular family, considering that many mistakes have been made over the years.(Pinto, 1963, 1968, 1978; Sick, 1985, 1997; Teixeira et al, 1988)

Monitoring and environmental education are fundamental for the studies of seabirdmortality. It is important to have the assistance of collaborators to proceed in this survey, notonly from the scientific communities but also from local environmental agencies andcommunities.

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_______, Silva, M. A., Fernandes, C. & Reis, A. (1997). Recuentos de aves orilladas enPortugal, 1990-1996. Ardeola 44: 9-17.

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Hays, H. and P. C. Lima (1997). Distribution of Roseate Terns along the coast of Brazil. In:Proceedings 7th Roseat Tern Workshop, 26-27 April, Horta, Azores, Portugal, page21.

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______, P. C. Lima, L. Monteiro, J. DiCostanzo, G. Cormons, I. C. T. Nisbet, J. E. Silva, J.A. Spendelow, J. Burger, J. Pierce and M. Gochfeld (1999). A Non-breedingConcentration of Roseate and Common Terns in Bahia, Brasil”. Journal of FieldOrnithology, vol. 70 ( 4 ): 455-464.

Krul, R. and V. S. Moraes (1994). Calonectris diomedea (Procellariiformes, Procellariidae)no litoral do Paraná. In: Cong. Bras. Ornit, 4, Recife, PE, 1994. Resumos Recife:Universidade Rural de Pernambuco, 1994, p.105.

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______, R. Grantsau, R. C. F. R. Lima and S. S. dos Santos (2002) Notas sobre os registrosbrasileiros de Calonectris edwardsii (Oustalet, 1883) e Pelagodroma marinahypoleuca (Mouquin-Tandon, 1841) e primeiro registro de Phalacrocoraxbransfieldensis Murphy, 1936 para o Brasil. Ararajuba 10(2):263-265.

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Moraes, V. S and R. Krul (1994). Dados sobre algumas aves pelágicas visitantes da costa doBrasil. In: Congresso Brasileiro de Ornitologia 4, 1994, Recife, PE, UniversidadeFederal Rural de Pernambuco, 1994, p. 45.

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______, P. Martuscelli, R. Silva e Silva and T. S. Neves (1995). The sea-birds of São Paulo,southeastern Brazil. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 115(2): 117-128.

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Petry, M. V. and V. S da Fonseca (2002). Effects of human activities in the marineenvironment on sea-birds alon the coast of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. OrnitologiaNeotropical 13(2):137-142.

Pinto, O. (1964). Ornitologia Brasiliense. Catalogo descritivo e ilustrado das aves do Brasil.Vol. 1. Depto. de Z oologia e Secret. do estado de SãoPaulo.

_______ (1978). Novo catálogo das Aves do Brasil, Primeira Parte. Museu de Zoologia,Universidade de São Paulo.

Roman, A. H (1998). Novo registro de Albatroz Pardo, Phoebetria fusca (Procellariiformes:Diomedeidae), para o Litoral Sul do Brasil. In: Congresso Brasileiro de Ornitologia 7,Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 1998, Universidade do Estado do Riode Janeiro, 1998, p. 70.

Sampaio, C. L. S and J. O. Castro (1998). Registros de Phoebetria palpebrata (Foster, 1758)no litoral da Bahia, nordeste do Brasil (Procellariiformes: Diomedeidae). ArarajubaVol 6 (2): 136-137.

Schauensee, R. M. and H. W. Phelps Jr. (1978). A guide to the birds of Venezuela. PrincetonUniversity Press.

Sick, H. (1985). Ornitologia Brasileira, Uma introdução. 1 ed. V. 1, Brasília: Universidade deBrasília.

_______(1997). Ornitologia Brasileira: Rio de Janeiro. Editora Nova Fronteira.

Silva, F. (1975). Presença de Calonectris diomedea borealis Cory, 1881 nas costas de SantaCatarina, Brasil (Aves, Procellariidae). Iheringia, Zool. 46: 54.

Silva, R. S., F. Olmos and P. C. Lima(2002). Chataracta chilensis (Bonaparte, 1857) noBrasil. Ararajuba 10(2):275-277.

Souza, D. (1999). Novos registros de espécies de aves no estado da Bahia e sua correlação com os ecossistemas. Atualidades Ornitológicas 88:6-7.

Teixeira, D. M, , J. B. Nacinovic and R. Novelli. (1985). Notes on some Brazilian Seabirds.Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 105: 49-51.

_______, J. B. Nacinovic, I. M. Schloemp and E. E. Kischlat (1988). Notes on someBrazilian seabirds (3). Bull. Brit. Orn.Cl.108:136-139

Vooren, C. M and A. C. Fernandes (1989). “Guia de Albatrozes e Petréis do Sul do Brasil”,1ed., Rio Grande do Sul: SAGRA Livraria, Editora e Distribuidora LTDA.

Zino, P. A. (1985). Pequeno apontamento histórico sobre a caça das Cagarras na SelvagemGrande e desenvolvimentos recentes nesta ilha. Bocagiana, Portugal: MuseuMunicipal do Funchal p.2.

Warham, J. (1990). The Petrels: Their ecology and breeding systems. Academic PressLimited.

Willis, E. O. and Y. Oniki (1985). Bird specimens new for the state of São Paulo, Brazil.Rev.Brasil.Biol., 45 (1/2): 105-108.

_______and ______(1991). Nomes Gerais para Aves Brasileiras. Américo Brasiliense - SP.

_______and ______ (1993). New and reconfirmed birds from the state of São Paulo, Brazil, withnotes on disappearing species. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 113 (1):23-34.

_______and ______ (1993). On a Phoebetria specimen from southern Brazil. Bull. Brit. Orn.Cl.113 (1):60-61.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To Carlos Eugênio Bezerra de Menezes, Director Manager of CETREL. To my fellow biologists:Jaelson O. Castro, Francisco P. da Fonseca-Neto, Cláudio L.S Sampaio, Mariana S. Pinho, Simonede Souza Campos, Valquer dos Santos, Luis Carlos D. dos Santos, Valdique da Silva Lopes,Lenílson S. Nunes, Jorge L.C. de Almeida, Dilson M. R. dos Santos, Nequinha, Daniel Schmukler,Sergio B. dos Santos, Thyers Novaes de Cerqueira Lima Neto, Aloísio Fereira da Rocha Neto fortheir help in field investigations. To IBAMA, Jardim Zoológico, Policia Ambiental do Estado daBahia, Projeto TAMAR, Projeto MAMA, for delivering debilitated birds to our center, and for theirassistance and support. To CEMAVE for the posters and support. To the fishing communities allover the northern coast of Bahia, Salvador and Itaparica Island for their cooperation. To theEnvironmental Sector of PETROBRÁS, for its support and assistance. Werner Bokermam (inmemoriam) for his help. Alex Zino (in memoriam) and your family for your help in the SelvagemGrande Island. Pedro Granadeiro, Jacques Vielliard. To Prof. Paulo Cesar Costa Maia and AliomarArlego Paraguaçu, Medicine Veterinary - UFBA, for Histology and Pathology examinations oncollected birds. Ilse Grantsau for help revision in the text. Richard Hartley for help in translating thetext. And to my friends for the concession of your photos :Haroldo Palo Júnior Diomedeamelanoprhys, Phoebetria palpebrata, Fulmarus glacialoides and Catharacta chilensis; LuisClaudio Marigo Sterna fuscata; Fábio Olmos Calonectris edwardsii and Robson Silva e SilvaPhaethon aethereus.

21

TABLE 1. Birds found dead during the mortality phenomenon between 1994 - 1999.PERIOD

SPECIES 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 TOTAL

Sphesniscus magellanicus - - - - 01 ( 0,2% ) 02 (1,1% ) 03

Diomedea melanophrys 03 (0.08%) - - - 02 ( 0,41% ) 03 ( 1,7% ) 08

Diomedea chlororhynchos 03 ( 0.08% ) - 09 ( 0,73% ) - 02 ( 0,41% ) 23 ( 13,5% ) 37

Diomedea sp. - - - - - 01 ( 0,5%) 01

Phoebetria fusca ** - - 01 ( 0,08% ) - - - 01

Phoebetria palpebrata ** 02 ( 0,05% ) - - - - 03 ( 1,7 % ) 05

Fulmarus glacialoides ** 01 ( 0,02% ) - - - - - 01

Daption capense ** - - - - - 04 (2,3% ) 04

Pterodroma incerta ** 31 ( 0,88% ) - - - 01 ( 0,2% ) 04 ( 2,3% ) 36

Pterodroma brevirostris 01 ( 0,02% ) - - - - - 01

Pterodroma mollis ** - - 05 ( 0,4% ) - - 03 ( 1,7%) 08

Pachyptila desolata 110 ( 3,15% ) - 755 ( 61,8% ) - - - 865

Pachyptila vitatta ** - - 01 ( 0,8%) - - - 01

Pachyptila belcheri ** 40 ( 1,14% ) - 231 ( 18,9% ) - - 01 ( 0,5% ) 272

Pachyptila sp. - - 71 ( 5,8% ) - - - 71

Procellaria a. aequinoctialis 144 ( 4,1% ) - 09 ( 0,73% ) - 02 ( 0,41% ) 31 ( 18,2%) 186

Procellaria conspicillata ** 01 ( 0,02% ) - - - - - 01

Procellaria cinerea ** - - 01 ( 0,08% ) - - - 01

Calonectris diomedea borealis 2380 ( 68,2% ) 494 ( 80,5% ) 119 ( 9,74% ) 32 ( 68% ) 381 ( 79,7% ) 41 ( 24,1%) 3447

Calonectris edwardsii */ ** - 02 ( 0,3% ) - - - - 02

Puffinus gravis 740 ( 21% ) 72 ( 11,7% ) 06 ( 0,49% ) 13 ( 27% ) 66 ( 13,8% ) 25 ( 14,7% ) 922

Puffinus griseus 03 ( 0,8%) 06 (0,9%) 04 ( 0,32% ) - 04 ( 0,83% ) 06 ( 3,5% ) 23

Puffinus puffinus ** 11 ( 0,31% ) 09 ( 1,46% ) 01 ( 0,08% ) - 02 ( 0,41% ) 08 ( 4,7% ) 31

22

SPECIES 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 TOTALOceanites oceanicus ** - 01 ( 0,16% ) - - - 05 ( 2,9% ) 06

Pelagodroma marina hypoleuca */ ** - - 01 ( 0,08% ) - - - 01

Fregetta tropica */ ** - - 01 ( 0,08% ) - - - 01

Oceanodroma leucorrhoa ** - - 01 ( 0,08% ) - - - 01

Phaethon aethereus aethereus - - - 01 ( 2,1% ) - - 01

Sula dactylatra - - 02 ( 0,16 % ) - 02 ( 0,41% ) - 04

Sula leucogaster leucogaster - 01 ( 0,16% ) 01 ( 0,08% ) - - 01 ( 0,5% ) 03

Phalacrocorax bransfieldensis */ ** - 01 ( 0,16% ) - - - - 01

Fregata magnificens - - - - - 02 ( 1,1 % ) 02

Tringa flavipes 01 ( 0,2% ) - - - - - 01

Catharacta antarctica ** 06 ( 0,17% ) 09 ( 1,46% ) 01 ( 0,08% ) - 03 ( 0,62% ) - 19

Catharacta chilensis ** - - - - 01 ( 0,2% ) - 01

Catharacta maccormicki ** - - - 01 (2,1% ) 05 ( 1,04% ) - 06

Stercorarius parasiticus ** 01 ( 0,02% ) 02 ( 0,32% ) 01 ( 0,08% ) - 04 ( 0,83% ) 01 ( 0,5% ) 09

Stercorarius longicaudus ** - - - - 01 ( 0,2% ) - 01

Sterna hirundo 03 ( 0,08% ) 03 ( 0,48% ) - - 01 ( 0,2% ) - 07

Sterna paradisaea 03 ( 0.08% ) - - - - 01 ( 0,5% ) 04

Sterna fuscata 02 ( 0,05% ) 06 ( 0,97% ) - - - - 08

Sterna dougallii - - - - 01 ( 0,2% ) - 01

Sterna eurygnatha - - - - 01 ( 0,2% ) - 01

Anous stolidus 01 ( 0,02% ) 09 ( 1,46% ) 01 ( 0,08% ) - 01 ( 0,2% ) 05 ( 2,9% ) 17

TOTAL 3487 615 1222 47 478 170 6022Note: the value between brackets corresponds to the percentage of individuals of this species found in the respective year.* =New occurrence in Brazil. ** New occurrence in Bahia

23

Table 2 - Period of occurrence of seabirds in the coast of Bahia

SPECIES JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEPT OCT NOV DECSpheniscus magellanicus X XDiomedea melanophrys X X X XDiomedea chlororhynchos X X X X X X XPhoebetria fusca XPhoebetria palpebrata X X XFulmarus gracialoides XDaption capense XPterodroma incerta X X X XPterodroma brevirostris X X*Pterodroma mollis X X XPachyptila desolata X X XPachyptila vitatta XPachyptila belcheri X XProcellaria a. aequinoctialis X X X X X XProcellaria conspicilata XProcellaria cinerea XCalonectris diomedea borealis X X X X X X X X X X XCalonectris edwardsii XPuffinus gravis X X X X X X X X X XPuffinus griseus X X X X XPuffinus puffinus X X X X X X XOceanites oceanicus oceanicus X XPelagodroma marina hypoleuca XFregatta tropica XOceanodroma leucorrhoa XPhaeton aethereus aethereus XSula dactylatra X XSula leucogaster leucogaster X XFregata magnificens X XCatharacta antarctica X X X X X X XCatharacta chilensis XCatharacta maccormicki XStercorarius parasiticus X XStercorarius longicaudus X X XStercorarius pomarinus XSterna hirundo X X X X XSterna paradisaea X XSterna fuscata X X X XSterna dougallii XSterna eurygnatha XAnous stolidus X X X X X X* = Skin deposited in the MNRJ

24

Table 3. Weight of birds represented in the mortality phenomenon, dead, deposited and examined in thecollections RG and MCNCetrel .

SPECIES WEIGHT ♂N / ± ( X )

WEIGHT ♀N / ± ( X )

WEIGHT(undetermined gender)

N / ± ( X )

Spheniscus magellanicus - - 2 / 1500g-2665g(2082,5g)

Diomedea melanophrys 1 / 1957g ( - ) - -

Diomedea chlororhynchos - 2 / 1100g – 1375g (1237,5) 3 / 1490g-1788g (1592,6g)

Daption capense 1 / 290g ( - ) 1 / 255g ( - ) -

Pterodroma incerta 2 / 355g-390g (372,5g) 1 / 574g ( - ) -

Pterodroma brevirostris 1 / 175g ( - ) - -

Pterodroma mollis 1 / 180g ( - ) 1 / 200g ( - ) 1 / 200g ( - )

Pachyptila desolata 3 / 86g-100g (94,6g) 1 / 110g ( - ) 3 / 96g-130g (110,6g)

Pachyptila belcheri 8 / 80g-95g (86,7g) 13/ 75g-97g (82,8g) 3 / 70g-84g (78,6g)

Procellariaa.aequinoctialis 4 / 625g-750g (656,2g) 4 / 625g-730g (688,7g) 1 / 500g ( - )

Procellaria conspicilata 1 / 625g ( - ) - -

Calonectris d. borealis 18/ 390g-600g (490,2g) 9 / 380g-620g (478g) 10/ 340g-510g (417,5g)

Puffinus gravis - 3 / 350g-520g ( 456g) 2 / 490g-560g ( 525g)

Puffinus griseus - 1 / 375g ( - ) 1 / 590g ( - )

Puffinus puffinus 1 / 235g ( - ) 2 / 210g ( 210g) 1 / 75g ( - )

Catharacta antarctica 1 / 711g ( - ) 1 / 760g ( - ) -

Catharacta maccormick - - 1 / 750g ( - )

Sterna paradisaea 1 / 60g ( - ) 1 / 55g ( - ) 1 / 64g ( - )

Sterna dougallii 1 / 80g ( - ) - -

Anous stolidus 2 / 90g-102 g (96g ) - 1 / 106g ( - )Note: N = number of skins ; ± = more or less weight; ( X ) mean weight.

25

Table 4. Weight of the seabirds when they are set freeSPECIES WEIGHT WHEN SET FREE

Spheniscus magellanicus 2 800 (N=2)Puffinus gravis 628, 75 (N=12)

Procellaria a. aequinoctialis 725 (N=2)Pachyptila desolata 85,9 (N=15)Pachyptila belcheri 81,9 (N=5)

Calonectris d. borealis 620Diomedea chlororhynchos 1 550

Puffinus griseus 640 (N=2)Note: 1. Mean difference = difference between the mean weight of the bird when released and the weight of the bird to be set free. 2. Weight in grams. 3. The value in parenthesis is equal to the mean weight at the moment of release.

Table 5. Biometric data on the species mostly represented in the mortality phenomenon

SPECIESBILL

S , N, ± ( X )WING

N ± ( X )WEIGHT

N ± ( X )

Pachyptila desolata ? 40 / 13-15 ( 14,5 )* 35 / 18-21 ( 19,6 ) -

Pachyptila belcheri ? 16 / 9-10 ( 9,4 )* 7 / 17,8-19 ( 18,4 )-

Procellaria a. aequinoctialis ? 20 / 53-45 (49,2) 20 / 42-36 ( 35,2 ) 17 / 860-425 ( 703 )

Puffinus gravis ? 59 / 56-40 ( 46,1 ) 55 / 35-31 ( 32,7 ) 56 / 780-320 ( 492 )

Puffinus puffinus ? 7 / 40-35 ( 36,5 ) 9 / 24-22 ( 23 ) 3 / 420-220 ( 320 )

Callonectris diomedea borealis M 25 / 61-50 (53,6 )f 33 / 60-48 ( 54,8 )? 302 / 46-64 (56)

25 / 35-38,5 ( 36,3 )33 / 33-37 ( 36,1 )255 / 31,5-39 ( 35,6 )

23 / 390-620 ( 482 )32 / 380-680 ( 467,6 )164 / 330-700 ( 471,5)

Note : Measurement in mm and weight in grams. S = gender; N =number of skins ; ± = higher or smaller measure ; ( X ) = mean ; m = male; f = female• Measurement of the base width of the bill.

26

Table 6 . Seabirds found banded in the northern coast of Bahia

SPÉCIES BAND COLLECTIONDATE

ORIGIN

Calonectris d. borealis L 053705 07/06/94 Selvagem Grande, Madeira, Portugal, 14/10/93. Non flying juvenile.L 43269 08/06/94 Selvagem Grande, Madeira, Portugal, 19/09/93. Non flying juvenile.L 037017 10/06/94 Selvagem Grande, Madeira, Portugal, 31/10/93. Non flying juvenileL 049205 11/06/94 Selvagem Grande, Madeira, Portugal, 02/10/93. Non flying juvenileL 048948 12/06/94 Selvagem Grande, Madeira, Portugal, 01/10/93. Non flying juvenileL 048848 12?06/94 Selvagem Grande, Madeira, Portugal, 01/10/93. Non flying juvenile.L 036729 26/06/94 Selvagem Grande, Madeira, Portugal, 29/10/92. Non flying juvenileL 049279 26/06/94 Selvagem Grande, Madeira, Portugal, 01/10/93. Non flying juvenileL 049284 26/02/94 Selvagem Grande, Madeira, Portugal, 10/10/93. Non flying juvenileL 049279 26/06/94 Non available data.L 049653 29/06/94 Non available data.L 042648 31/05/95 Selvagem Grande, Madeira, Portugal, 29/06/94. Non flying juvenile.L 052108 05/07/95 Non available data.6083829 26/06/94 Canary Island, Spain, 07/11/93. Non flying juvenile6083560 30/06/94 Canary Island, Spain, 04/11/93. Non flying juvenileL 046845 06/06/96 Selvagem Grande, Madeira, Portugal, 15/09/95. Non flying juvenileL 035859 08/05/98 Non available data.L 060135 02/06/98 Non available dataL 056734 13/05/98 Non available data

Sterna eurygnatha L 74658 12/04/98 Escalvada Island, Espirito Santo, 29/06/97. Young.Sterna hirundo G 5070 13/0296 Vila do Porto Island, Santa Maria, Azores, Portugal.03/07/94. YoungAnous stolidus J 16104 10/07/96 Guarita Island, Abrolhos Marine Park, Bahia, 05/05/95.Young

J 22642 12/04/98 Abrolhos Archipelago, Bahia, 22/05/97. YoungJ 22667 12/04/98 Abrolhos Archipelago, Bahia, 22/05/97. Young

Sula leucogaster U 21142 03/10/96 Abrolhos Archipelago, Bahia, 25/04/96. YoungSula dactylatra V 18297 15/12/98 Abrolhos Archipelago, Bahia, 29/01/92. Adult.

U 18091 03/08/98 Abrolhos Archipelago, Bahia, 19/06/92. Adult, femalePhalachrocorax bransfildensisCatharacta maccormicki

AA 4765EA0123561

- / - /9608/02/01

Punta Armonia, Nelson Island, South Shetland.South Shetland Island

27

Table 7. Biometric data on skins examined in the RG and MCN Cetrel collections .

SPECIESTotal

S, N , ± ( X )Wing

N , ± ( X )Tail

N , ± ( X )Cúlmem

N , ± ( X )Tarso

N , ±, ( X )

Spheniscusmagellanicus

? 1 / 556 ( - ) 1 / 170 ( - ) 1 / 25 ( - ) 1 / 60 ( - ) 1 / 31,2 ( - )

Diomedeamelanophris

? 1/ 864 ( - )?

1 / 535 ( - )1 / 490 ( - )

1 / 192 ( - )1 / 185 ( - )

1 / 104,5 ( - )1 / 106 ( - )

1 / 86,3 ( - )1 / 82 ( - )

Diomedeachlororhynchos

m 1 / 776 ( - )f 1/ 740-750 ( 745 )? 4/ 740-788 (768,2)

1 / 494 ( - )2 / 495-498 ( 496.5 )6 / 470-510 ( 492 )

1 / 166 ( - )2 / 180-185 ( 182,5 )5 / 165-175 ( 170,2 )

1 / 108,3 ( - )2 / 110-114 ( 112 )6 / 113-120 ( 116 )

1 / 80,9 ( - )1 / 80 ( - )

6 / 77-85 ( 81,3)Phoebetriafusca

? 1/ 742 ( - ) 1 / 520 ( - ) 1 / 236 ( - ) 1 / 109 ( - ) 1 / 80 ( - )

Phoebetriapalpebrata

? 1/ 760 ( - ) 1 / 486 ( - ) 1 / 234 ( - ) 2 / 104-110 ( 107) 1 / 77 ( - )

Fulmarusglacialoides

f 1/ 455 ( - ) 1 / 334 ( - ) 1 / 124 ( - ) 1 / 40 ( - ) 1 / 47 ( - )

Daption capense

m 1/ 385 ( - )f 2/ 361-381 ( 371 )

1 / 258 ( - )2 / 252-271 ( 261,5 )

1/ 99,4 ( - )2/ 97,3-102 (99,65)

1 / 31,5 ( - )2 / 29,4-31,2 (30,3)

1 / 44,8 ( - )2 / 44-45 ( 44,5 )

Pterodromaincerta

m 2 / 428-435 (431.5)f 1 / 418 ( - )

2 / 318-326 ( 322)1 / 345 ( - )

2 / 122-128 ( 125)1 / 139 ( - )

2 / 36-38 ( 37 )1 / 39 ( - )

2 / 43-46 ( 44,5 )1 / 45 ( - )

Pterodromabrevirostris

m 1 / 310 ( - ) 1 / 249 ( - ) 1 / 96 ( - ) 1 / 26 ( - ) 1 / 37 ( - )

Pterodromamollis

m 2 / 328-335(331,5)f 1 / 334 ( - )? 1 / 347 ( - )

2 / 254-260 ( 257)1 / 235 ( - )1 / 248 ( - )

2 / 105-110 ( 107,5)1 / 110 ( - )1 / 175 ( - )

2 / 25-38 ( 31,5 )1 / 27 ( - )1 / 27 ( - )

2 / 33-37 ( 35 )1 / 35 ( - )1 / 38 ( - )

Pachyptiladesolata

m 3 / 230-305 (275)f 1 / 305 ( - )

? 3 / 285-290(288,3)

3 / 194-230 ( 206,3)1 / 196 ( - )

5 / 180-198 ( 192,6 )

3 / 98-103 ( 100,3)1 / 92 ( - )

5 / 88-110 ( 97,6 )

3 / 29-30 ( 29,3)1 / 27 ( - )

5 / 26-31 ( 28,2 )

3 / 33-35 ( 34,3 )1 / 34 ( - )

5 / 30-36 ( 33,2 )Pachyptilabelcheri

m 8 / 274-300 (288,6)f 13 / 240-300 ( 276 )? 3 / 274-288 ( 280 )

8 / 184-201 ( 188,3 )13 / 179-195 ( 186,9 )5 / 180-186 ( 183,6 )

8 / 73-97 ( 89,3 )13 / 78-94 ( 86,4 )5 / 82 ( 84,8 )

8 / 24,8-29,3 ( 26,2)13 / 23-26,7 ( 25,2 )5 / 25-27 ( 25,8 )

8 / 31-35 ( 32,8 )13 / 32-36 ( 33,1 )5 / 32-33 ( 32,6 )

Procellariaa. aequinoctialis

m 4 / 480-550 ( 513 )f 5 / 492-540 (510,4 )

? 1 / 495 ( - )

4 / 384-400 ( 390,7 )5 / 389-405 ( 396 )? / 395 ( - )

4 / 120-130 ( 124,7 )5 / 120-135 ( 128,8 )

1 / 140 ( - )

4 / 47-57 ( 51,5 )5 / 49-53 ( 51 )

1 / 46 ( - )

4 / 64-68 ( 65,2 )5 / 60-65 ( 63,2)1 / 63 ( - )

28

Procellariaconspicilata

m 2/ 451-450 (450,5) 2 / 346-364 ( 355 ) 2 / 103-105 (104 ) 2 / 50 ( 50 ) 2 / 64-65 ( 64,5 )

Calonectris d.borealis

m 18/ 480-580 (527,7 )f 8 / 490-560 ( 522,5 )? 9 / 456-560 (509,5 )

19 / 330-375 ( 359,3 )9 / 345-375 ( 364,7 )9 / 340-370 ( 354,8 )

19 / 120-145 ( 136,5 )9 / 130-160 ( 142,7 )8 / 120-170 ( 138,5 )

19 / 50-58 ( 54,1 )9 / 49-58 ( 53,1 )9 / 50-57 ( 53,9 )

19 / 51-62 ( 56,2 )9 / 48-58 ( 53,4 )9 / 43-61 ( 54,6 )

Puffinusgravis

f 3 / 484-498 ( 489 )? 3 / 500-520 ( 506,6)

3 / 318-328 ( 324,3 )3 / 330-345 ( 336,6 )

3 / 110-113 ( 111 )3 / 115-130 ( 122,6 )

3 / 45-47 ( 46 )3 / 47-50 ( 49 )

3 / 58-59 ( 58,3 )3 / 59-62 ( 61 )

Puffinusgriseus

f 1 / 430 ( - )? 1 / 440 ( - )

1 / 278 ( - )1 / 310 ( - )

1 / 85 ( - )1 / 115 ( - )

1 / 44 ( - )1 / 45 ( - )

1 / 55 ( - )1 / 55 ( - )

Puffinuspuffinus

m 1 / 347 ( - )f 2 / 300-333 ( 316,5 )

1 / 241 ( - )2 / 222-240 ( 231 )

1 / 75 ( - )2 / 72-75 ( 73,5 )

1 / 37 ( - )2 / 34-37 ( 35,5 )

1 / 45 ( - )2 / 45-46 ( 45,5)

Pelagodromamarina

? / - 1 / 165 ( - ) 1 / 75 ( - ) 1 / 17 ( - ) 1 / 40 ( - )

Fregettatropica

? / - 1 / 163 ( - ) 1 / 78 ( - ) 1 / 19 ( - ) 1 / 42 ( - )

Suladactylatra

m 1 / 800 ( - ) 1 / 218, 5 ( - ) 1 / 210 ( - ) 1 / 140 ( - ) 1 / 51 ( - )

Caharactaantarctica

m 1 / 580 ( - )f 1 / 580 ( - )

1 / 390 ( - )1 / 390 ( - )

1 / 144 ( - )1 / 148 ( - )

1 / 50 ( - )1 / 48 ( - )

1 / 70 ( - )1 / 73 ( - )

Catharactamaccormicki

? 1 / 500 ( - ) 2 / 380-385 ( 382,5 ) 1 / 125 ( - ) 1 / 41 ( - ) 2 / 64-72 ( 68 )

Stercorariusparasiticus

? 1 / 425 ( - ) 1 / 298 ( - ) 1 / 180 ( - ) 1 / 35 ( - ) 1 / 45 ( - )

Sternahirundo

? 1 / 332 ( - ) 1 / 253 ( - ) 1 / 105 ( - ) 1 / 36 ( - ) 1 / 20,2 ( - )

Sternaparadisaea

m 1 / 350 ( - )f 1 / 335 ( - )? 1 / 323 ( - )

1 / 263 ( - )1 / 265 ( - )1 / 268 ( - )

1 / 154 ( - )1 / 158 ( - )1 / 141 ( - )

1 / 34 ( - )1 / 31 ( - )1 / 31 ( - )

1 / 15 ( - )1 / 15 ( - )1 / 13 ( - )

Sternadougallii

m 1 / 310 ( - ) 1 / 225 ( - ) - 1 / 24 ( - ) -

Sterna fuscata

m 3 / 353-395 (376) 3 / 292-312 ( 299 ) 3 / 129-145 ( 138 ) 3 / 37-48 ( 44 ) 3 / 22-25 ( 23,5 )

Anousstolidus

m 3 / 357-390 ( 370 )f 1/ 378 ( - )

? 4 / 375-385 (378,5 )

3 / 245-275 ( 258 )1 / 254 ( - )

4 / 246-276 ( 262,7 )

3 / 115-135 ( 127,6 )1 / 133 ( - )

4 / 134-145 ( 138,5 )

3 / 43-46 ( 44,6 )1 / 45 ( - )4 / 40,3-42 ( 41 )

3 / 25-28 ( 26 )1 / 25 ( - )

4 / 21-27 ( 32,3 )

Measurement in mm; m = male , f = female S = gender; N = number of skins; ± higher or smaller measure; ( X ) mean

Continuation

29

Table 8. – Recovered birds and banded between 1994/2001

SPECIES No.of individuals BAND* USED YEARSpheniscus magellanucus 02 W 1998/2001Diomedea chlororhynchos 01 T ( U ) 1994Pterodroma incerta 01 R 1996Pachyptila desolata 02 H 1994

16 H 1996Pachyptila belcheri 08 H 1996Procellaria a. aequinoctialis 02 S/T 1994Calonectris d. borealis 01 R (S ) 1994Puffinus gravis 12 T ( S ) 1994Puffinus griseus 03 S/T 1998Sula dactylatra 01 U 1999Fregata magnificens 01 U 1999Catharacta antarctica 01 T 1993Catharacta maccormicki 03 T 2001* Band furnished by CEMAVE.

30

Table 9. Seabirds Bands Recommended

Species Bandrecommendedby CEMAVE

Recommendedband

Phoebetria fusca Not available VPhoebetria palpebrata Not available VFulmarus glacialoides N P

Pterodroma incerta Not available RPterodroma brevirostris Not available J

Pterodroma mollis Not available NPachyptila desolata Not available H-JPachyptila belcheri Not available H-J

Procellaria a.aequinoctialis Not available TProcellaria conspicilata Not available T

Procellaria cinerea Not available SCalonectris d. borealis N SCalonectris edwardsii Not available S

Puffinus griseus Not available SPuffinus puffinus N-P R

Pelagodroma marina Not available H-JFregata tropica Not available H

Phalacrocorax bransfildensis Not available VFregata magnificens V V*Catharacta antarctica Not available UCatharacta chilensis Not available T

Stercorarius longicaudus Not available PStercorarius pomarinus Not available R/S

* The height of the band should be shortened. See text.

31

9,0911,76

13,95

19,35 20,0021,82

25,00

66,6766,67

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Perc

entu

al

Puffi

nus

puf

finus

Puffi

nus

grav

is

Cal

onec

tris

dio

med

ea

Pter

odro

ma

ince

rta

Pach

yptil

a be

lche

ri

Pach

yptil

a de

sola

ta

Proc

ella

ria a

.ae

quin

octia

lis

Dio

med

each

loro

rhyn

chos

Dio

med

ea m

elan

ophr

is

Species

Figure 1. Percentage of birds found soaked in oil in 1994

32

4,33

33,3

16,6

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Percentage

Puffinua gravis Calonectris d. borealis Sterna hirundo Sterna fuscata

Figure 2. Percentage of birds found soaked in oil in 1995.

33

Ano 1995 Ano 1996 Ano 1997 Ano 1998

963,5 940,1

745,9

1129,3

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

mm

Figure 3. Precipitation in the critical period from May to September - 1995 to 1998

34

Figure 4. Skull Phoebetria palpepbrata

Figure 5. Procellaria aequinoctialis without white spot on the chin

Figure 6. Calonectris diomedea borealis with different characteristics.

IDENTIFICATION KEY OF THE PROCELLARIIFORMES ORDER

AND THE STERCORARIIDAE FAMILY.

PLATE I

PLATE II

PLATE III

PLATE IV

PLATE V

PLATE VI

PLATE VII

PLATE VIII

Diomedea cauta

Diomedea chlororhynchos

PHOTOS

Diomedea melanophrys

Spheniscus magellanicus

Daption capenseFulmarus glacialoides

Phoebetria fusca Phoebetria palpebrata

Pachyptila desolataPterodroma mollis mollis

Pterodroma brevirostrisPterodroma incerta

Pachyptila belcheri

Calonectris diomedeaProcellaria conspicillata

Procellaria aequinoctialis aequinoctialis

Calonectris edwardsii

Calonectris diomedea (Young)

Colonectris diomedea

Puffinus gravis

Puffinus puffinus

Puffinus griseus

Oceanites oceanicus

Pelagodroma marina hypoleuca

Sula leucogasterSula dactylatra

Phaethon aethereus

Chataracta chilensis

Phalacrocorax bransfieldensis

Fregata magnificens

Chataracta antarctica

Stercorarius pomarinus Larus dominicanus

Stercorarius parasiticusChataracta maccormicki

Sterna hirundo

Sterna paradisaea

Sterna paradisaea

Sterna hirundo

Sterna dougallii

Sterna eurygnathaSterna dougallii

Sterna fuscata

Anous stolidus