What do south polar skua eat?

Can a south polar skua eat Penguin Eggs?

This Adelie Penguin egg was cracked and eaten by a South Polar Skua at Cape Crozier, Antarctica. At Cape Crozier, a South Polar Skua cruises over the penguin nests in its territory. Skuas are deft fliers that can swoop in on an uncovered egg and snatch it away in a moment.

What do south polar skuas eat?

A large portion of the fish that South Polar Skuas eat is obtained by bullying other smaller birds out of their catches. It will also dive or pluck fish from just under the surface.

What is the south polar skua famous for?

The South Polar Skua is famous for only two things: stealing penguin eggs and eating penguin chicks. What’s a bird to do with such a bad reputation?

Are southern polar skuas social?

Are Southern Polar Skuas social? Southern Polar Skuas tend to be territorial, chasing off competitors within their feeding territory. Some will form loose colonies during breeding season, but mating pairs may also choose to make their nests in a solitary location.

What does the Antarctic skua eat?

Antarctic Skua. To further confuse, it hybridizes with both the South Polar and Chilean Skuas, and the entire group have been considered subspecies of the Great Skua, a species otherwise restricted to the Northern Hemisphere. It feeds on fish , small mammals, scraps, chicks, eggs and carrion.

How do skuas get their food?

Feeding & diet: The mainstay of skuas diet is fish and krill, though penguins, as eggs, chicks and carrion form a variable but sometimes exclusive supplement depending on location. Fish may be obtained by stealing it from other birds, particularly gulls. Conservation status: Least concern.

How big does a south polar skua get?

Name: South Polar Skua, MacCormick’s Skua (Stercorarius maccormicki) Length: 50 cm. Weight: 900 to 1600 grams. Location: Antarctic. Winters in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Conservation status: Least Concern. Diet: Fish, birds, rabbits, carrion.

Do south polar skuas nest in flocks?

Southern Polar Skuas tend to be territorial, chasing off competitors within their feeding territory. Some will form loose colonies during breeding season, but mating pairs may also choose to make their nests in a solitary location. During feeding they can be found in noisy flocks of up to about 100 individuals. How fast do South Polar Skuas fly?

What is the difference between south polar skuas and other skuas?

South Polar Skuas tend to be slighter in the body, thinner in the bill, smaller in the head, and narrower in the wings than other Skuas. 6. South Polar Skuas will attack humans if they get too close to their nests. 7. When not breeding South Polar Skuas are mainly pelagic (live entirely at sea).

Do south polar skuas attack humans?

These aggressive seabirds are known to attack humans who venture too close to their nests, though when not breeding south polar skuas are almost never seen on land. Being pelagic birds, they live entirely at sea, and we most often spot them around the Antarctic Peninsula, Ross Sea, and South Shetland Islands.

How long do south polar skuas live?

South Polar Skuas live for about 10 years in the wild. How many South Polar Skuas are there today? Estimates place the worldwide South Polar Skua population at over 15,000 adult individuals. Do South Polar Skuas have any natural predators?

Are skuas in the UK?

Skuas are ‘piratical’ birds, gaining much of their food by stealing it from other seabirds. They make a very small family with just four northern hemisphere species and three southern hemisphere species. All four are regularly seen in the UK, with two breeding.

Why do skuas display to each other?

Skuas display to, or for a mate or to other skuas to establish their territory. Sometimes the birds can be seen to do this as a pair, it is quite an impressive sight and the squawking can be heard some considerable distance away. Skuas will also do this if their nest is being approached by an unwanted visitor.

What is a Skua bird?

Skuas are ‘piratical’ birds, gaining much of their food by stealing it from other seabirds. They make a very small family with just four northern hemisphere species and three southern hemisphere species.

How does a Skua bird look like?

Some birds have very pale blonde head and body. Breeds in Antarctica, further south than almost any other species of bird. Ranges across all oceans, mainly from March to October, typically staying offshore and very rarely seen from land. Compare with other skua species.

Are there south polar skuas in Australia?

South polar skua – Australian Antarctic Program The south polar skua breeds on the Antarctic Continent and is a winter visitor to Australia. Skip to content Home About Antarctica

Do south polar skuas steal penguins eggs?

At Cape Crozier, a South Polar Skua cruises over the penguin nests in its territory. Skuas are deft fliers that can swoop in on an uncovered egg and snatch it away in a moment. They tend to steal the eggs of younger, less experienced penguin parents.

Are southern polar skuas territorial?

Southern Polar Skuas tend to be territorial, chasing off competitors within their feeding territory. Some will form loose colonies during breeding season, but mating pairs may also choose to make their nests in a solitary location. During feeding they can be found in noisy flocks of up to about 100 individuals.

What time of year do south polar skuas nest?

South polar skuas arrive at their breeding colonies in late October to mid-December. Their nests are a shallow depression on the ground and are generally found in sheltered locations on rocky outcrops, moss covered cliffsides or valley floors. The eggs hatch in late December to late January after an incubation period of 24–34 days. Diet and feeding

What is a south polar skua?

The South Polar Skua (Catharacta maccormicki) is the size of a largish gull. They nest all around continental Antarctica and breed into the deep south. They are excellent fliers and have occasionally been sighted deep in the interior hundreds of miles from anything other than ice, even as far south as the pole.

What is the difference between south polar skua and Jaeger?

South Polar Skua has broader wings relative to the body of the bird and relative to the wing length. Pomarine Jaeger wings are narrower, appearing longer, and are often angled. Skuas have less pointed wings. This is accentuated by the breadth of the wings.

Why do skuas have shorter tails than wings?

Because of the broader wings and shorter tails of skuas, the length of the tail appears less than the width of the wings, while on Pomarine Jaeger the length of the tail appears about equal to the wing width.

How long do Arctic skuas live?

Arctic Skuas can live up to 25 years, although 12 years is more common. How many Arctic Skuas are there today? Arctic Skua worldwide population estimates vary wildly, anywhere from 500,000 to 10 million individuals. Do Arctic Skuas have any natural predators?

Do skuas eat other birds?

They feed mostly by kleptoparasitism, that is by stealing prey from other birds, and they are not averse to eating other birds, particularly auks and petrels, and Great Skuas (or Bonxies) will even attack herons and geese, which much larger than themselves.

Are skuas dangerous to humans?

Great skuas show little fear of humans – anybody getting close to the nest will be repeatedly dive-bombed by the angry adult. These birds migrate to the northernmost isles of the UK from their wintering grounds off the coasts of Spain and Africa.

How do skuas know when they have landed?

The GLS tags (global location sensing) can detect when a skuas have landed in water, when they are in flight, and when they’re on land. The information that is stored on the tags can be rendered into a detailed map to show their exact movements.