Abstract
We examined the thermoregulatory behaviour (TRB) of roosting Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) in north central Chile during summer and winter, when ambient temperatures (Ta) are most extreme. Each body posture was considered to represent a particular TRB, which was ranked in a sequence that reflected different degrees of thermal load and was assigned an arbitrary thermoregulatory score. During summer, birds exhibited eight different TRBs, mainly oriented to heat dissipation, and experienced a wide range of Ta (from 14 to 31°C), occasionally above their thermoneutral zone (TNZ, from 2 to 30°C), this being evident by observations of extreme thermoregulatory responses such as panting. In winter, birds exhibited only three TRBs, mainly oriented to heat retention, and experienced a smaller range of Ta (from 11 to 18°C), always within the TNZ, even at night. The components of behavioural responses increased directly with the heat load which explains the broader behavioural repertoire observed in summer. Since penguins are primarily adapted in morphology and physiology to cope with low water temperatures, our results suggest that behavioural thermoregulation may be important in the maintenance of the thermal balance in Humboldt penguins while on land.
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Acknowledgements
Roberto Villablanca, Angelo Navarro and Nele Markones provided valuable help in the field. P.G., Freddy and Yogui transported us and our logistic to Pájaros Island on board the R.V. “Stella Maris II”. Gerrit Peters made valuable comments on the manuscript. CONAF IV Region (UGPS) provided permission for working at Chañaral Island. Financial support was provided by the Chicago Zoological Society and the German Academic Exchange Service (to A.S. and R.P.W.) and FONDECYT grant 1010250 (to G. L-J). To all of them we are very grateful.
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Simeone, A., Luna-Jorquera, G. & Wilson, R.P. Seasonal variations in the behavioural thermoregulation of roosting Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) in north-central Chile. J Ornithol 145, 35–40 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-003-0005-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-003-0005-6