Table 4 Comparison of present results with previous studies: occurrence of fish remains, main prey species and length and biomass of consumed whiting in the diet of kittiwakes at Helgoland according to food remains in stomach samples
Period | N stomach samples | Stomachs containing fish remains (%) | Main prey species | Length of whiting consumed | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1980–1982 | 113 | 78 | Saithe/haddock, whiting | Min–max: 6–13 cm | Vauk-Hentzelt and Bachmann (1983) |
1983–1985 | 560 | 97 | Sandeels, whiting | ø 16 cm (min–max:<10–23 cm) | Prüter (1989) |
1990–1992 | 320 | 63 | Whiting | ø 13 cm (min–max: 7–22 cm) | Maul (1994) |
2001 | 29 | 64 | Whiting | ø 8 cm (min–max: 6–13 cm) | This study |
2002 | 20 | 67 | Whiting | ø 20 cm (min–max: 19–21 cm) | This study |
2004 | 33 | 81 | Whiting | ø 9 cm (min–max: 6–19 cm) | This study |
2006 | 23 | 43 | Nereidae | Not found | This study |