Dec 16, 2024 · Also known as the bonxie, the great skua is a fierce predator of the northern seas. These birds are known for their aggressive behaviour and will attack puffins in mid-air. Skuas often force puffins to drop their catch of fish, but they’ll also kill and eat the puffins themselves.

Larger species, such as the great skua, regularly kill and eat adult seabirds, such as puffins and gulls and have been observed killing birds as large as a grey heron. [5] On the breeding grounds, the three, more slender northern breeding species commonly eat lemmings .

The skua swoops down and grabs the fish from the puffin’s beak. The puffin doesn’t resist the thieving skua. Why risk it? It would have little hope of winning a fight – it evolved to catch fish, while the skua evolved for aerial battle and could kill and eat the puffin. It’s an easy choice: miss a meal or gamble with your life.

But when the predatory skua bird is riding the wind, it's a bad time to be a puffin. S... Puffin nests dot this cliffside, and there's often safety in numbers.

The Great Skua is a pirate of the seas which will steal a free meal from birds as large as Gannets. It also preys on smaller birds such as Puffins. Great Skuas show little fear of humans – anybody getting close to the nest will be repeatedly dive-bombed by the angry adult.

All you need to know about the great skua, including where they breed, what they look like and what they eat

May 27, 2024 · What Does the Skua Eat? Skuas are carnivores that eat fish, carrion, birds, eggs, chicks, and more. During breeding, they eat fish and carrion, which they take from other seabirds and gulls. They may occasionally kill and eat adult birds like gulls, puffins, and herons.

Oct 7, 2022 · Arctic Skuas are hunting Puffins for their fish on Westray and they’re having intermittent success. The action starts in the evening as a first Arctic Skua arrives and circles, looking for the tell-tale glint of silver fish in a returning Puffin’s beak.

Jun 23, 2024 · They often target smaller seabirds such as terns, gulls, and puffins, harassing them until they regurgitate or drop their catch, which the skuas then seize mid-air or snatch from the water. Predation. Skuas are skilled predators and …

Jun 12, 2015 · A great skua, or bonxie as they are known in Shetland, eats a puffin. Picture: Rex Features. Puffins are coming under attack from a gang of predatory seabirds nicknamed the “Pirates of the Sky”.