Nov 30, 2023 · We investigated sleep in chinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis antarcticus) nesting in a colony exposed to a predatory bird, the brown skua (Stercorarius antarcticus), on King George Island, Antarctica. During incubation, skuas are known to prey on penguin eggs mainly on the border of the colony (13).

The South Polar skua (Stercorarius maccormicki) is a large predatory seabird. An older name for the bird is MacCormick's skua, after explorer and naval surgeon Robert McCormick, who first collected the type specimen.

The Great skua (Stercorarius skua) is a large seabird in the skua family Stercorariidae. It mainly eats fish caught at the sea surface or taken from other birds. The Great skua is sometimes known by the name bonxie in Britain.

On average, a skua is about 56 cm (22 in) long, and 121 cm (48 in) across the wings. They have longish bills with a hooked tip, and webbed feet with sharp claws. They look like large dark gulls, but have a fleshy cere above the upper mandible.

Nov 30, 2023 · Yet a study published Thursday in Science shows that nesting chinstrap penguins sleep just this way more than 10,000 times a day. They take a continual series of dozes that last just four seconds...

May 27, 2024 · Four skua species (south polar, pomarine, parasitic, and long-tailed) breed on the Arctic coastline, then head to warmer waters, like the Southern Ocean, to spend winters. The brown skua typically stays in the Southern Ocean, while the great skua stays in the North to Northeast Atlantic.

We found (using radio-transmitters) that skuas regularly forage at night and (using light intensifying equipment) observed them catching storm-petrels at night. However, skuas also foraged during daylight hours, and it is un-known whether they might also catch storm-petrels at …

Often a visitors first sight of a skua is at a penguin colony where they usually are nesting nearby. They hang around as a dark presence looking for unguarded eggs or weak or isolated chicks to prey on, which is a very productive means of finding food, but does their reputation no good at all.

Dec 1, 2023 · Chinstrap penguins are one of nature's most extreme nappers, snatching more than 10,000 microsleeps lasting up to four seconds long every day, according to a new study.

Aug 14, 2005 · Huge flocks of Lesser-black backed Gulls (Fuscus) fly north over Eilat at dusk in spring and will fly all night. The massive flocks of White-winged Black Terns that head up the gulf will also spend all night on the wing..as will Skuas, et al. These birds will mostly sleep and feed up during daylight hours. John. Write your reply... Warning!