Core Temperatures of Non-nesting 

 Western Atlantic Seabirds 



Steven P. Platania ', Gilbert S. Grant 2 , 

 and David S. Lee 3 



North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, 

 P.O. Box 27647, Raleigh, North Carolina 27611 . 



ABSTRACT. — Core body temperatures of 23 species of birds col- 

 lected off the North Carolina coast did not differ with sex, weight, 

 time of day, or season. Within the orders Procellariiformes and Cha- 

 radriiformes, there seems to be no correlation of temperature with 

 mass. Temperature data on injured birds are similar to those of ones 

 recently killed. Results of this study compared favorably with those 

 obtained by other researchers and indicate no significant differences 

 between body temperatures of foraging and non-incubating procellarii- 

 form birds at the nesting colonies. Temperature differences between 

 birds taken at sea and those studied at nesting sites amount to about 1 

 °C and are best attributed to the activity state of the birds. 



Little uniform information is available on deep-body temperatures 

 of seabirds away from nesting colonies. Comparing thermal information 

 collected by different investigators, using dissimilar methods and sam- 

 pling variable locations within the body, presents interpretive difficulties. 

 The opportunity to gather temperatures from a variety of species, using 

 uniform methods and equipment, presented itself during a long-range 

 study into the occurrence, seasonal distribution, and food habits of sea- 

 birds off the North Carolina coast (see Lee and Booth 1979). This paper 

 is the first extensive report of core temperatures in actively foraging 

 seabirds. It complements the works of others who obtained most of 

 their information from nesting colonies, and for the most part substan- 

 tiates their findings and speculations. 



MATERIALS AND METHODS 



Information was obtained between 1977 and 1982, primarily during 

 spring, summer, and fall. Specimens were shot from boats traveling 

 from 30 to 60 km off North Carolina's Outer Banks. Birds were then 

 netted from the water and a thermistor probe (#418), feeding into a 

 calibrated telethermometer (Yellow Springs Instruments), was inserted 



1 Department of Fishery and Wildlife Biology, Colorado State University, Fort 

 Collins, Colorado 80523. 



2 Route 2, Box 431, Sneads Ferry, North Carolina 28460. 



3 Direct requests for reprints to Lee. 



Brimleyana No. 12:13-18, September 1 986 13 



