Work

Occurrence, Distribution, and Mortality of Seabirds in South and Southeast Brazil, 2015–2019

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: We compiled data on seabirds that use coastal and coastal/oceanic habitats, recorded alive and dead, during four years of beach monitoring in Santa Catarina, Paraná, and São Paulo states, along Brazil's south and southeast coast. This is a pioneering study, as no previous studies of this magnitude have been done in Brazil. Among the 26,900 individuals collected, 45 species were identified, distributed across four orders: Charadriiformes (29 species), Pelecaniformes (12 species), Sphenisciformes (one species), and Suliformes (three species). We determined maturity and sex for the five most abundant species: Magellanic Penguin Spheniscus magellanicus, Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus, Brown Booby Sula leucogaster, Neotropic Cormorant Nannopterum brasilianum, and Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens. The penguin tally was the only one dominated by young individuals (93.24%). Concerning sex, S. magellanicus and L. dominicanus were predominantly female, with 76.64% and 53.36%, respectively, while males were more frequent in S. leucogaster (56.21%), N. brasilianum (59.42%), and F. magnificens (55.86%). The continuation of monitoring activities will be essential for tracking cyclical patterns of seabird species occurrence and composition of coastal and marine environments in the study area.

Source: Marine ornithology

DOI: 10.5038/2074-1235.53.2.1657