2015 Volume 47 Issue 1 Pages 1-16
The present study examined a possible determination of age in the Short-tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris by microscopic observation of sliced sections of the lower mandible. The section samples obtained from 14 individuals, aged from about one month-old to five or more years old, were prepared by decalcifying then staining with Delafield's haematoxylin. Results indicated that morphological changes in the mandible tissue were useful for the age determination of individuals during the growing period from one to six months-old, within nestling to fledgling. It was also found that morphological differences in the layered structure of the mandible were of use in distinguishing between sub-adults and adults. However, the number of layered structures was not consistent with the age of adult individuals.
