We also specifically investigated potential links with the New Zealand fishery industry to inform efficient conservation practices. Our aim was to describe the Westland Petrel’s diet and to investigate seasonal and spatial variations to their diet to understand the feeding requirements of this species. We collected 99 fresh fecal samples in 2 different seasons and in 2 different subcolonies. We used a noninvasive metabarcoding approach to characterize the diet of the Westland Petrel ( Procellaria westlandica), which is an endangered burrowing species, endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. However, the recent progress in DNA-based approaches is now providing a noninvasive means to more comprehensively and accurately characterize animal diets. This sampling method is invasive for the bird and limited in terms of taxonomic resolution. Traditionally, the diet of seabirds is assessed through the morphological identification of prey remains in regurgitates. Despite this environmental adaptability, seabirds are the world’s most threatened birds and there is, therefore, an urge to acquire information about their ecological and foraging requirements through the study of their diet. However, high mobility and foraging behavior enable seabirds to exploit prey distributed patchily in time and space. As top predators, seabirds can be indirectly impacted by climate variability and commercial fishing activities through changes in marine communities.
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