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Home ยป Breeding Behaviour of the Long-Tailed Skua Stercorarius longicaudus (Vieillot)
Breeding Behaviour of the Long-Tailed Skua Stercorarius longicaudus (Vieillot)
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication: | 1971 |
| Authors: | Andersson, M |
| Journal: | Ornis Scandinavica |
| Volume: | 2 |
| Issue: | 1 |
| Date Published: | 1971 |
| ISBN Number: | 00305693 |
| Keywords: | Stercorariidae, Stercorarius, Stercorarius longicaudus |
| Abstract: | The Long-tailed Skua was studied in northern Scandinavia 1967-1969. Breeding numbers fluctuated markedly with the abundance of Lemmings, the main food. The pair often co-operated in tearing apart the prey, which was then eaten faster and more completely than by single birds. The female performed most brooding, whereas the male did most hunting and territorial defence. Predators were attacked with swoops, accompanied by two kinds of calls, one used against mammals, the other against birds. These two calls were combined and modified into a long call, used in territorial displays against other skuas. A fourth call was used in one of the three ritualized flight-types. These involved three different typical wing-beat rates. Display postures on the ground were less varied than in gulls, whereas the aerial behaviour was more elaborate, probably owing to the big territories and the open habitat. |
| URL: | http://www.jstor.org/stable/3676238 |
| Short Title: | Ornis Scandinavica |
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical):
Ed Baker,
Katherine Bouton
Alice Heaton
Dimitris Koureas,
Laurence Livermore,
Dave Roberts,
Simon Rycroft,
Ben Scott,
Vince Smith