Katie Kauffman

OEB MS Student
B.S., University of California, Santa Cruz, 2001
Faculty Advisor: Paul Sievert, Environmental Conservation
kekauffm@cns.umass.edu

Research Interests

Foraging and reproductive ecology of marine birds

I am using field research techniques to learn about the foraging and reproductive ecology of the Razorbill (Alca torda), a marine bird in the alcid family (auks: i.e., puffins, razorbills, murres, auklets). Razorbills are the closest living relative of the extinct Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis), and they are a threatened species in the state of Maine due to small population size and limited distribution.

Specifically, I study the diving behavior, reproductive success, and chick diet of Razorbills breeding at the species’ southernmost colony: Matinicus Rock, part of the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge in the Gulf of Maine. I record dive attributes and water temperatures using miniature leg-mounted data-loggers; identify food deliveries to chicks using binoculars from observation blinds; and monitor nesting burrows to assess hatching and fledging success of breeding pairs.

My research will help wildlife managers assess and manage Razorbill populations on Matinicus Rock and elsewhere in the Gulf of Maine. It will contribute to a preliminary understanding of whether Razorbills at Matinicus Rock could be affected by changes in prey base related to commercial fisheries or climate change.

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