Search

South Polar Skua typically lay two eggs. The chicks are precocious and within a few hours of hatching are able to walk on there own are around there territory., Cape Bird, Ross Island, Antarctica, Restricted to staff and students of the University of Auckland, SBSAntarctica

During the summer skuas often nest near penguin colonies. Proximity to the colonies allows them to opportunistically prey on unguarded chicks and eggs, with which they feed their own young., Cape Bird, Ross Island, Antarctica, Restricted to staff and students of the University of Auckland, SBSAntarctica

Adult skua have a very strong bill with a pronounced hook at the tip. This aids them in aggressive foraging and defence of their nesting territories., Cape Bird, Ross Island, Antarctica, Restricted to staff and students of the University of Auckland, SBSAntarctica

South Polar skua live on open scree slopes, usually in close proximity to penguin colonies, Cape Bird, Ross Island, Antarctica, Restricted to staff and students of the University of Auckland, SBSAntarctica

The south polar skua is a large predatory seabird and has an average wing span of 1.3 metres., Cape Bird, Ross Island, Antarctica, Restricted to staff and students of the University of Auckland, SBSAntarctica

The smaller south polar skua have an average wing span of 1.3m and breed around he continent., Cape Bird, Ross Island, Antarctica, Restricted to staff and students of the University of Auckland, SBSAntarctica

South Polar skua have heavier bodies than their gull relatives, with a strong hook shaped bill., Cape Bird, Ross Island, Antarctica, Restricted to staff and students of the University of Auckland, SBSAntarctica

The adult plumage of the south polar skua occurs in three distinct colour forms. Individuals may have pale, medium or dark plumage. This image shows the difference between pale versus dark individuals., Cape Bird, Ross Island, Antarctica, Restricted to staff and students of the University of Auckland, SBSAntarctica

Skuas have heavier bodies than their gull relatives and stronger, more hooked bills, reflecting their more predatory lifestyle., Cape Bird, Ross Island, Antarctica, Restricted to staff and students of the University of Auckland, SBSAntarctica

South polar skua breed exclusively around the coast of Antarctica, nesting on open scree slopes, Cape Bird, Ross Island, Antarctica, Restricted to staff and students of the University of Auckland, SBSAntarctica

Like many predatory birds, skuas regurgitate the less digestible components of their diet. Bones and feathers, remaining after a meal has been digested, are regurgitated in the form of a compact pellet., Cape Bird, Ross Island, Antarctica, Restricted to staff and students of the University of Auckland, SBSAntarctica

Skua lay only two eggs that are laid two to three days apart, because they begin incubation immediately the eggs hatch asynchronously., Cape Crozier, Ross Island, Antarctica, Restricted to staff and students of the University of Auckland, SBSAntarctica

Penguin and skua breeding season occur during the Antarctic summer, when melting ice means that nest sites and feeding grounds become available., Cape Crozier, Ross Island, Antarctica, Restricted to staff and students of the University of Auckland, SBSAntarctica

There is no clear explanation for the evolution of sibling aggression. Experiments have shown that sibling aggression in the south polar skua is not dependent on the amount of food available to chicks during breeding season., Cape Crozier, Ross Island, Antarctica, Restricted to staff and students of the University of Auckland, SBSAntarctica

Conspicuous white patches on the top and bottom of the wings are a characteristic of south polar skua plumage., Cape Crozier, Ross Island, Antarctica, Restricted to staff and students of the University of Auckland, SBSAntarctica

Skua chicks must be protected from other predatory skuas and brooded regularly for the first couple of weeks after hatching., Cape Crozier, Ross Island, Antarctica, Restricted to staff and students of the University of Auckland, SBSAntarctica

Penguins nest in large colonies to protect themselves from predators such as the south polar skua. As a result skua feeding is highly opportunistic., Cape Crozier, Ross Island, Antarctica, Restricted to staff and students of the University of Auckland, SBSAntarctica

Dead penguin chicks are scavenged as carrion or, when the opportunity arises, taken from unguarded nests., Cape Crozier, Ross Island, Antarctica, Restricted to staff and students of the University of Auckland, SBSAntarctica

Sibling aggression is more likely if a competitive disparity, such as difference in size, exists between chicks., Cape Crozier, Ross Island, Antarctica, Restricted to staff and students of the University of Auckland, SBSAntarctica

The most common resut of sibling aggression is that the weaker chick is excluded from access to parental care. The result is that it will die from either exposure, starvation, or attacks from other skuas., Cape Crozier, Ross Island, Antarctica, Restricted to staff and students of the University of Auckland, SBSAntarctica

Sibicide is more likely to occur in species that are predatory as adults., Cape Crozier, Ross Island, Antarctica, Restricted to staff and students of the University of Auckland, SBSAntarctica

Exclusion from the nest site as a result of sibling aggression may result in the weaker chick dying from exposure when it is no longer brooded by its parents., Cape Crozier, Ross Island, Antarctica, Restricted to staff and students of the University of Auckland, SBSAntarctica

One consequence of sibling aggression is that the weaker chick is deprived of parental attention and brooding, this decreases its chances of survival., Cape Crozier, Ross Island, Antarctica, Restricted to staff and students of the University of Auckland, SBSAntarctica