Eastern coyote canis latrans predation on adult and pre-fledgling northern gannets morus bassanus nesting on mainland cliffs at cape st. Mary’s, newfoundland, canada

Abstract

We document the first evidence of predation by invasive eastern coyotes Canis latrans on breeding seabirds on the island of Newfoundland, Canada. We detail kills of 110 Northern Gannets Morus bassanus (50 adults, 60 large pre-fledgling chicks) nesting on mainland cliffs at the Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve. During nocturnal predation, late in the Northern Gannets’ nesting season (September/October), coyotes killed 68 birds (30 adults, 38 large pre-fledgling chicks) in 2016 and 42 birds (20 adults, 22 pre-fledgling chicks) in 2018. Most birds were killed by bites to the head and cranial punctures. Approximately one-quarter of the birds were partially (pectoral muscle) or fully consumed. Based on carcass condition, it appeared that coyotes killed, consumed, and left intact gannets for one week or longer. Although coyotes are not a significant threat to seabirds, they could increase selection pressure on seabirds nesting at mainland sites. Coyote-seabird interactions are likely to increase as the canids venture to coastal seabird nesting areas and islands.