Foraging Behavior of Black-Footed Albatross Phoebastria nigripes Rearing Chicks on the Ogasawara Islands

Black-footed albatrosses (Phoebastria nigripes) rearing chicks on Mukojima, Ogasawara Islands, exhibit Area Restricted Search (ARS) behavior, a foraging strategy linked to prey aggregations. They travel up to 427 km from the colony, primarily feeding on fish, fish eggs, and squid, with shallow daytime dives (0.6±0.2 m) occurring at rates of 2.2 dives per hour but rarely at night. ARS was observed at scales of 11–71 km during both day and night, often in areas of high primary production. The study used GPS and time-depth data-loggers to track foraging range, diving behavior, and prey composition from regurgitations, revealing insights into the ecological dynamics of this pelagic top predator.

Kazama, K., Harada, T., Deguchi, T., Suzuki, H., & Watanuki, Y. (2019). Foraging Behavior of Black-Footed Albatross Phoebastria nigripes Rearing Chicks on the Ogasawara Islands. Ornithological Science, 18(1), 27. https://doi.org/10.2326/osj.18.27