The Subantarctic Skua Catharacta antarctica has a circum-
polar sub-Antarctic distribution and extends south along the islands of the Scotia Arc and the Antarctic Peninsula to about 65°S (Hemmings l984). Subantarctic Skuas are well known for their opportunistic feeding habits. They have been recorded as predators, scavengers, and kleptoparasites of a wide...
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| Language: | English |
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.670.7834 http://marineornithology.org/PDF/24/24_7.pdf |
| Summary: | polar sub-Antarctic distribution and extends south along the islands of the Scotia Arc and the Antarctic Peninsula to about 65°S (Hemmings l984). Subantarctic Skuas are well known for their opportunistic feeding habits. They have been recorded as predators, scavengers, and kleptoparasites of a wide variety of organisms (Pietz l987). In addition, they feed on garbage from the bases established by man (Peter et al. 1990). Esperanza Station is located at Hope/Esperanza Bay (63°24'S, 56°59'W) on the northwestern side of the Antarctic Peninsula. In this area there are six breeding pairs of Subantarctic Skuas and one pair of South Polar Skuas C. maccormicki (N.R. Coria & D. Montalti unpubl. data) and a large Adélie Penguin Pygoscelis adeliae colony (l23 859 pairs, Myrcha et al. l987). The penguin colony provides a great quantity of food for skuas, and is the mean reason Subantarctic Skuas congregate here |
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