2024 Volume 73 Issue 1 Pages 57-66
Abstract. The metabolic rate of growing chicks depends on body mass, growth rate, circadian rhythm and nutritional condition. The chicks of Rhinoceros Auklet Cerorhinca monocerata, are fed during the night and grow more slowly than other species of alcids. To determine the factors that cause the resting metabolic rate (RMR) to change, we measured their RMR at night and during the day. RMR was, as expected, allometrically related to body mass with a coefficient of 0.47 that was within the range of chicks of slow-growing bird species. Contrary to expectations, RMR tended to be lower at night, indicating periodical starvation. The low RMR in our study, compared with other alcids, may be related to the poor nutritional condition of the chicks in the study year.
