Abstract
When sightings of seabirds in the Indian Ocean are analyzed in conjunction with oceanographic data, the distributions of certain species and higher taxa show significant correlation with the temperature and salinity of the surface waters. Closely related species occur preferentially over different types of surface water. Characteristic associations of species were also found corresponding to surface water-types. Seabirds are not exempted by their mobility from the constraints of the marine environment.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Literature Cited
Alexander, W.B.: Birds of the ocean, 2nd ed. 282 pp. London: Putnam 1955
Anonymous: International Indian Ocean Expedition; R.R.S. “Discovery’. Cruise 1. Southeast Arabian upwelling region. Cruise Report, 24 pp.
London: The Royal Society 1963
Anonymous: U.S. Program in Biology, International Indian Ocean Expedition; Anton Bruun Cruise 5. Final Cruise Report, Woods Hole, Mass.: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution 1965
Anonymous: Indian Ocean Atlas, 80 pp. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, U.S. Government Printing Office 1976
Aoyanagi, M.: Observation data of the seabirds in the sub-Antarctic Ocean during the outward cruise of the 13th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition 1971–1972. Antarctic Rec. 48, 148–151 (1974)
Ashmole, N.P.: Sea bird ecology and the marine environment. In: Avian biology, Vol. 1. pp 224–286. Ed. by D.S. Farner and J.R. King. New York: Academic Press 1971
— and M.J. Ashmole: Comparative feeding ecology of sea birds of a tropical oceanic island. Bull. Peabody Mus. nat. Hist. 24, 1–131 (1967)
Austin, O.L., Jr. and N. Kuroda: The birds of Japan—their status and distribution. Bull. Mus. comp. Zool. Harv. 109, 280–637 (1953)
Bailey, R.S.: The sea-birds of the southeast coast of Arabia. Ibis 108, 224–264 (1966)
—: The pelagic distribution of sea-birds in the western Indian Ocean. Ibis 110, 493–519 (1968)
—: Sea-bird observations off Somalia. Ibis 113, 29–41 (1971)
—: The effects of seasonal changes on the sea-birds of the western Indian Ocean. J. mar. biol. Ass. India 14, 628–642 (1974)
—, R. Pocklington and P.R. Willis: Storm-petrels Oceanodroma spp. in the Indian Ocean. Ibis 110, 27–34 (1968)
Bary, B. Mck.: Distributions of Atlantic pelagic organisms in relation to surface water bodies. Spec. Publs R. Soc. Can. 5, 51–67 (1963)
Bialek, E.L.: Handbook of oceanographic tables, 427 pp. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office 1966
Blackburn, M.: Oceanography and the ecology of tunas. Oceanogr. mar. Biol. A. Rev. 3, 299–323 (1965)
Bourne, W.R.P.: Concentrations of birds off the coasts of Somaliland and Oman. Sea Swallow 14, p. 27 (1961)
—: A review of oceanic studies of the biology of seabirds. Proc. int. orn. Congr. (13, Ithaca) 1962, 831–854 (1963)
—: Long-distance vagrancy in the petrels. Ibis 109, 141–167 (1967)
—: The birds of the Chagos Group, Indian Ocean. Atoll Res. Bull. 149, 175–207 (1971)
—: Survey of ornithological work in the Indian Ocean. J. mar. biol. Ass. India 14, 609–627 (1974)
—: On subfossil bones of Abbott's booby Sula abbotti from the Mascarene Islands, with a note on the proportions and distribution of the Sulidae. Ibis 118, 119–123 (1976)
Brinton, E. and K. Gopalakrishnan: The distribution of Indian Ocean euphausiids. In: The biology of the Indian Ocean, pp 357–382. Ed. by B. Zeitschel and S.A. Gerlach. Berlin: Springer-Verlag 1973
Brown, R.G.B.: Seabirds of South America and the North West Atlantic. Proc. int. orn. Congr. (16, Canberra) 1974, 716–724 (1976)
—, F. Cooke, P.K. Kinnear and E.L. Mills: Summer Chilean Fjords, and off southern South America. Ibis 117, 339–356 (1975)
Cheke, A.S.: Notes on seabirds seen on a journey across the Indian Ocean. Ibis 108, 628–630 (1966)
Cramp, S. and K.E.L. Simmons: Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa: the birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. 1. Ostrich-ducks, 722 pp. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press 1977
Cushing, D.H.: Production in the Indian Ocean and transfer from the primary to the secondary level. In: The biology of the Indian Ocean, pp 475–486. Ed. by B. Zeitzschel and S.A. Gerlach. Berlin: Springer-Verlag 1973
Diamond, A.W.: Feeding strategies and population size in tropical seabirds. Am. Nat. 112, 215–223 (1978)
Düing, W.: The monsoon regime of the currents in the Indian Ocean, 68 pp. Honolulu, Hawaii: East-West Center Press 1970
Fager, E.W. and J.A. McGowan: Zooplankton species groups in the North Pacific. Science, N. Y. 140, 453–460 (1963)
Gallagher, J.F.: The variability of water masses in the Indian Ocean, 74 pp. Washington, D.C.: National Oceanographic Data Centre 1966 (General Series; Publ. G-11)
Gibson-Hill, C.A.: Notes on the sea-birds of the orders Procellarii formes and Pelecaniformes recorded as strays or visitors to the Ceylon coast. Spolia zeylan. 27, 83–102 (1953)
Gill, F.B.: Observations on the pelagic distribution of seabirds in the western Indian Ocean. Proc. U.S. natn. Mus. 123 (3605), 1–33 (1967)
Hagmeier, E.M. and C.D. Stults: A numerical analysis of the distributional patterns of North American mammals. Syst. Zool. 13, 125–155 (1964)
Hamon, B.V.: Medium-scale temperature and salinity structure in the upper 1500 m in the Indian Ocean. Deep-Sea Res. 14, 169–181 (1967)
Hirons, M.J., D.J. Bellamy and C. Sheppard: Birds on the Chagos Bank. Nature, Lond. 260, p. 387 (1976)
Jouanin, C. et F.B. Gill: Recherche du pétrel de Barau, Pterodroma baraui. Oiseau, Paris 37, 1–19 (1967)
King, W.B.: Seabirds of the tropical Pacific Ocean, 126 pp. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution 1967
—, G.E. Watson and P.J. Gould: An application of automatic data processing to the study of seabirds. I. Numerical coding. Proc. U.S. natn. Mus. 123 (3609), 1–30 (1967)
Krey, J. and B. Babenerd: Phytoplancton production atlas of the IIOE, 70 pp. Kiel: Institut für Meereskunde, Universität Kiel 1976
Kuroda, N.: Oceanodroma matsudairae obtained by “Atlantis II” in the Indian Ocean; with anatomical note. Tori (Ser. 4) 6, 498–503 (1966)
Laviolette, P.E. and T.R. Frontenac: Temperature, salinity and density of the world's seas: Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Red Sea, 105 pp. Washington, D.C.: Naval Oceanographic office 1967 (IR No. 67-49)
Mauchline, J. and L.R. Fisher: The biology of euphausiids. Ecology of distribution. Adv. mar. Biol. 7, 313–350 (1969)
Murphy, R.C.: Oceanic birds of South America, Vol. 1. 640 pp. New York: Macmillan Co., American Museum of Natural History 1936
Nasu, K. and T. Shimano: The physical results of oceanographic survey in the S.E. Indian Ocean in 1963/64. J. Tokyo Univ. Fish. (Spec. Edn) 8, 114–157 (1966)
Nelson, J.B.: The distribution of Abbott's booby Sula abbotti. Ibis 115, 368–369 (1974)
Orren, M.J.: Hydrological observations in the South West Indian Ocean. Investl Rep. Div. Sea Fish. S. Afr. 45, 1–61 (1963)
—: Hydrology of the South West Indian Ocean. Investl Rep. Div. Sea Fish. S. Afr. 55, 1–36 (1966)
Ozawa, K.: Distribution of sea birds in austral summer season in the Southern Ocean. Antarctic Rec. 29, 2287–2322 (1967)
—, I. Kotake and K. Matsuike: Observations of birds in the Indian Ocean (1) J. Tokyo Univ. Fish. (Spec. Edn) 8 (1), 87–96 (1966)
— and Y. Nakamura: Observations of birds in the Indian Ocean (2). J. Tokyo Univ. Fish. (Spec. Edn) 8 (2), 17–36 (1966)
—, Y. Saito, M. Ishino, Y. Morita and S. Kanamori: Physical and chemical data at the time of IIOE in the years of 1962/63. J. Tokyo Univ. Fish. (Spec. Edn) 8 (1), 135–156 (1966)
— and J. Seno: General report of the participation of Japan in the IIOE. V8 eye observation. Rec. oceanogr. Wks Japan (New Ser.) 8, 113–118 (1966)
Palmer, R.S.: Handbook of North American birds, 1, 567 pp. New Haven and London: Yale University Press 1962
Plomley, N.J.B.: Numbers of flying fish observed during three voyages across the Indian Ocean. J. Zool., Lond. 155, 111–129 (1968)
Pocklington, R.: A summary of birds seen over the western Indian Ocean, August-November, 1963. Ibis 107, 385–386 (1965)
—: Birds seen at sea off N.W. Australia, July 23–30, 1965. Emu 76, 133–138 (1967)
— and R.W. Risebrough: Bird log data, Atlantis Two-Cruise 8, International Indian Ocean Expedition. 113 pp. Ref. No. 64–31. Woods Hole, Mass.: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution 1964
—, P.R. Willis and M. Palmieri: Birds seen at sea and on an island in the Cargados Carajos shoals. Atoll Res. Bull. 158, 1–8 (1972)
Rand, R.W.: Sea-birds south of Madagascar. Ostrich 33, 48–51 (1962)
—: Seabirds in the southern Indian Ocean. Ostrich 34, 121–128 (1963)
Rochford, D.J.: Hydrology of the Indian Ocean. II. The surface waters of the south-east Indian Ocean and Arafura Sea in the spring and summer. Aust. J. mar. Freshwat. Res. 13, 226–251 (1962)
—: Some hydrological features of the eastern Arafura Sea and the Gulf of Carpentaria in August 1964. Aust. J. mar. Freshwat. Res. 17, 31–60 (1966)
Scherbinin, A.D.: Water structure of the equatorial Indian Ocean. Oceanology 9, 487–495 (1967)
Serventy, D.L.: An analysis of the pelagic bird faunas of the Indo-Pacific oceans. Proc. Pacif. Sci. Congr. 8, 461–487 (1953)
—, V. Serventy and J. Warham: The handbook of Australian seabrids, 254 pp. Sydney, Australia: A.H. & A.W. Reed 1971
Shuntov, V.P.: Numerical record of sea birds in the eastern part of the Indian Ocean. Oceanology 8, 394–400 (1967)
—: Counts of flying fishes in the Eastern Indian Ocean. Probl. Ichthyol. 8, 784–789 (1968)
—: Seabirds and the biological structure of the ocean [In Russ.], 566 pp. Vladivostok: Dalnevostochnoe Knizhnoe Izdatelstvo 1972. [Transl. by I. Allardt., ed. by H. Dovy. Reproduced by National Technical Information Servie, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, Va. 22151, USA (1974); Ref. No. TT-74-55032]
Slobodkin, L.B. and H.L. Sanders: On the contribution of environmental predictability to species diversity. Brookhaven Symp. Biol. 22, 82–95 (1969)
Sokal, R.R. and P.H.A. Sneath: Principles of numerical taxonomy, 359 pp. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman & Co. 1963
Suda, A.: Tuna fisheries and their resources in the Indian Ocean. In: The biology of the Indian Ocean, pp 431–449. Ed. by B. Zeitschel and S.A. Gerlach. Berlin: Springer-Verlag 1973
Sverdrup, H.U., M.W. Johnson and R.H. Fleming: The oceans, 1087 pp. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall 1942
Tuck, G.S.: Seabirds of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. A survey (1958–1973) Sea Swallow 23, 7–21 (1974)
Uda, M. and Y. Nakamura: Hydrography in relation to tuna fisheries in the Indian Ocean. Spec. Publs mar. Biol. Ass. India (Volume dedicated to N.K. Panikkar) 276–292 (1973)
Watson, G.E.: Seabirds of the tropical Atlantic Ocean, 120 pp. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution 1966
—: Birds of the Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic, 350 pp. Washington, D.C.: American Geophysical Union 1975
—, R.L. Zusi and R.W. Storer: Preliminary field guide to the birds of the Indian Ocean, 214 pp. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution 1963
Wyrtki, K.: Oceanographic Atlas of the International Indian Ocean Expedition, 537 pp. Washington, D.C.: National Science Foundation 1971
Zinderen Bakker, van, E.M., Jr.: Birds observed at sea from Prince Edward Island to Cape Town. In: Marion and Prince Edward Islands. Report on the South African Biological and Geological Expedition/1965–1966, pp 249–250. Ed. by E.M. Van Zinderen Bakker, Sr., J.M. Winterbottom and R.A. Dyes. Capetown: A.A. Balkema 1971
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by T. Platt, Dartmouth
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pocklington, R. An oceanographic interpretation of seabird distributions in the Indian Ocean. Marine Biology 51, 9–21 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00389026
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00389026