16 Steven P. Platania, Gilbert S. Grant, David S. Lee 



Table 2. Body temperatures of male and female seabirds. Means not significantly 

 different at P > 0.05. 







Male 





Female 



Species 



N 

 7 



°C± 1SD 



N 

 13 



°C+ 1SD 



Fulmarus glacialis 



39.7+ 1.0 



40.0 ± 0.8 



Calonecths diomedea 



15 



39.610.9 



15 



39.7 ± 0.9 



Puffinus gravis 



7 



39.6 ±0.7 



15 



39.9 ±0.8 



Puffinus Iherminieri 



15 



39.3 ± 1.3 



15 



39.6 ±0.7 



Oceanites oceanicus 



9 



38.6 ± 1.2 



12 



38.6 ± 1.2 



Stercorarius pomarinus 



4 



40.1 ±2.2 



9 



40.3 ± 1.0 



Larus atricilla 



4 



41.3 ± 0.8 



6 



39.9 ± 1.4 



Rissa tridactyla 



4 



40.3 ± 0.9 



6 



40.1 ±0.4 



(Berger and Hart 1974). The maximum Tu of flying birds can be seen in 

 the upper part of the Tu range of Table 1. The T^ of seven petrel species 

 averaged 39.7 + 0.7 °C, which is only about 0.9 °C higher than the 

 mean compiled for 31 species by Warham (1971). This slight and insig- 

 nificant difference may result from one or more of the following: activ- 

 ity states of the bird, different investigator's techniques, and positioning 

 of temperature probes (cloacal, preventricular, or visceral). We suspect, 

 however, that it reflects the larger percentage of active birds in our sam- 

 ples than in samples compiled by investigators working with nesting 

 colonies. We found no body mass, sexual, seasonal, or hourly differen- 

 ces in Tu within species. 



McNab (1966:54) argued that the "apparent correlation between 

 the level of body temperature and the taxonomic group is really a corre- 

 lation of weight and taxonomic group. (It should be noted that within 

 both the ratites and penguins, small species have higher body tempera- 

 tures than large species)." Warham (1971) presented evidence that the 

 mean body temperature of petrels is significantly lower than that of 

 non-procellariiform birds. Within the order Procellariiformes, regres- 

 sion of T^ against body weight for our temperature (Table 1) likewise 

 shows no correlation. Small petrels do not have higher body tempera- 

 tures than do large ones, as Warham illustrated. This is true for our 

 Charadriiformes as well. Our temperatures agree closely with the range 

 of body temperatures reported by Dawson and Hudson (1970) for the 

 orders Gaviiformes, Procellariiformes, Pelecaniformes, and Charadrii- 

 formes. 



We found no evidence that stress and shock affected the body 

 temperatures of still-living birds within 1 to 3 minutes after they were 

 shot. The T^'s did not differ from those of recently expired birds (Table 

 3). 



