Tag: Stercorarius skua

Predation by great skuas at a large Shetland seabird colony

Great Skua (Stercorarius skua) Science Article 1 abstract 1) Skuas are top predators in marine ecosystems and may have detrimental effects on seabird communities they prey upon. However, predation rates are poorly understood and poorly quantified. Using a bio-energetics model we estimate seabird predation by great skuas, Stercorarius skua , at a large UK colony […]

Sex-biased environmental sensitivity: natural and experimental evidence from a bird species with larger females

Great Skua (Stercorarius skua) Science Article 2 abstract The larger sex is often more vulnerable, in terms of development and survival, to poor conditions during early life. Differential vulnerability has implications for parental investment strategies such as sex ratio theory. When males are larger, it is not possible to separate the effects of larger size […]

The incidence of nonbreeding by adult Great Skuas and Parasitic Jaegers from Foula, Shetland

Great Skua (Stercorarius skua) Science Article 3 abstract Several recent studies of seabirds have found high levels of nonbreeding by experienced adults. By contrast, just 8.9% (range 4-14%) of experienced Great Skuas (Catharacta skua) on Foula, Shetland Islands, deferred breeding between 1989-1996. For Parasitic Jaegers (Stercorarius parasiticus), a corresponding value of 5.5% (range 3-8%) was […]