(Table 1) Reproductive performance of brown skua pairs with and without feeding territories at Potter Peninsula/King George Island from 1998/1999 to 2000/2001 ...

• Main Authors: Hahn, Steffen, Peter, Hans-Ulrich
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2003
• Subjects: Time coverage; Group; Sample amount; Catharacta antarctica lonnbergi, clutch size; Standard deviation; Eggs survived to hatching; Number of fledglings per nest; Biological sample; Priority Programme 1158 Antarctic Research with Comparable Investigations in Arctic Sea Ice Areas SPP1158; Antarc*; Antarctic; Antarctica; Brown Skua; King George Island; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.848018; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.848018

In the maritime Antarctic, brown skuas (Catharacta antarctica lonnbergi) show two foraging strategies: some pairs occupy feeding territories in penguin colonies, while others can only feed in unoccupied areas of a penguin colony without defending a feeding territory. One-third of the studied breeding skua population in the South Shetlands occupied territories of varying size (48 to >3,000 penguin nests) and monopolised 93% of all penguin nests in sub-colonies. Skuas without feeding territories foraged in only 7% of penguin sub-colonies and in part of the main colony. Females owning feeding territories were larger in body size than females without feeding territories; no differences in size were found in males. Territory holders permanently controlled their resources but defence power diminished towards the end of the reproductive season. Territory ownership guaranteed sufficient food supply and led to a 5.5 days earlier egg-laying and chick-hatching. Short distances between nest and foraging site allowed ... : Please note: Catharacta antarctica lonnbergi is more officially called Stercorarius lonnbergi. ...