C+diomedea

 Calonectris diomedea (Cory's Shearwater) By Alyssa Brief



Class: Aves Order: Procellariiformes Family: Procellariidae

Endangered Species Act: The Cory's Shearwater was put on the red list in the Least Concern category in 2008. Up to 5,000 chicks have been taken from their nests annually from Raso and Branco because the shearwater is a culinary delicacy.

Location of Ecosystem: Mediterranean Sea on coasts, cliffs, mountain tops Breeds on sparsely vegetated islands in temperate waters Mediterranean Sea= 40 degrees N latitude, 10 degrees longitude

Physical Habitat Features: Temperature: 20-24 degrees C Salinity: 35.5-36.5 PSS Currents: none in the Mediterranean, but the Mid-Atlantic Drift and Canary currents may affect the colonectris diomedea Tides: The Mediterranean has no significant tides since the entrance is too narrow to let large amounts of water flow in



 Migration Patterns: Migration patterns for the Cory's Shearwater are not completely understood. Spring migrants begin arriving at breeding colonies as early as March, with most arrivals in late April and early May. The Cory's Shearwater can be fairly common off the east coast of North America in the warmer months. Departing North American waters in September and October, migrants begin to appear off South American and West African coasts in October and November.

Current Population Estimation: 600,000 Population trend: decreasing Appearance: Large seabird weighing approximately 1.8 pounds with a height of 18 inches and wingspan of 44 inches. The wings are darkly colored and the tail is relatively short. The bill is yellow and hooked with a gray tip. Reproduction: The Cory’s Shearwater form monogamous relationships. After the eggs are laid, the parents take turns sitting on them for 52-62 days. One egg is laid at a time. The adults care for the young for up to 100 days. Feeding: The Cory’s Shearwater snatches small fish from the ocean such as horse mackerel, boarfish, and trumpetfish. Small squid are crucial to their diet because they contain fish oil used for energy. The black rat is a predator of the Cory’s Shearwater. Economic Importance: The Cory’s Shearwater are captured and served in restaurants as a delicacy.

Reason for endangerment: Chicks are taken from their nests so they can be sold to restaurants. They are wanted for their meat, oil, and feathers. The Cory's Shearwater is also accidentally caught as bycatch.

 Conservation: The decline of the Cory’s Shearwater population is not deemed to be significant, so the evaluation level of the bird is Least Concern. They were acknowledged by the IUCN Red List. A global count is taken every 3 years to monitor the population status. The Yelkhouan Shearwater Project has sought to eliminate bycatch and produced a book for fishermen to explain what to do if a bird is accidentally caught.  Solutions: I think it is horrible that just because the Cory’s Shearwater is not in as much danger as other animals, people proceed to capture the chicks. If nothing is done to protect the chicks, they will be well on their way to becoming extinct. My three solutions are for laws to be passed to limit the capturing of newborns, for a population to be monitored by experts to make sure they survive by providing surrogate mothers in case some die, and for restaurants to start serving Cory’s Shearwater meat less and less. Anatomy:
 *  little pipes are fixed to the top of their bills to cover the nasal passages
 * strong leg bones to assist in landing and taking off in flight
 * the main bone in the wings is called the humerus, which is attached to the thorax, ulna, and radius
 * the syrinx is responsible for sound production
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">the lens of a bird eye can perceive wavelengths of 350 nm, so they can see ultraviolet radiation
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">have an organ above the stomach that stores fish oil for energy
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">birds have 3 eyelids, the third one being called nictitating membrane. The first two eyelids have tiny bristles that act as eyelashes.
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">The bill of the Cory’s Shearwater is technically skin because it has dermis and epidermis cells
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">The tail contains the retrices, or flight feathers
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">The feathers on the wings are classified as flight feathers, and further classified as either primary or secondary flights and coverts



Questions: <span style="font-size: 16pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Comic Sans MS'; msobidifontfamily: 'Comic Sans MS'; msolist: Ignore;">1) Why was the Cory’s Shearwater put on the Endangered Species List, and how big of a concern is their extinction considered? <span style="font-size: 16pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Comic Sans MS'; msobidifontfamily: 'Comic Sans MS'; msolist: Ignore;">2)  Describe how the Cory’s Shearwater reproduces. 3) What does the Cory’s Shearwater tend to eat?

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