Not far from the Akademik Vernadsky station, chicks of South Polar Skuas, which are one of the main avian predators of the Antarctic, have hatched. Ukrainian biologists have counted about 20 nests of these birds on the islands of Skua, Black and Shelter. This was reported by the National Antarctic Research Center, UNN reports.
The bird baby boom in the Vernadsky area continues. Recently, during a survey of neighboring islands, Ukrainian biologists discovered baby skuas
In total, the polar explorers counted about two dozen nests of these birds on the islands of Skua, Black and Shelter. Most of them already had two cubs, and some had one, and the second was about to appear.
South Polar Skuas are reportedly one of the main avian predators in the Antarctic. They prey on penguin eggs and chicks and other birds, and also take food from blue-eyed cormorants and penguins when they return to their nests with full oxen of food from the ocean.
They arrive in the area in late Antarctic spring for the mating season. They can nest both in colonies and in individual pairs. They lay 1-2 eggs, from which chicks hatch in about a month.
At first, parents take turns feeding them. Only after the down changes to feathers will they start flying and feeding on their own. This happens about two months after birth.
The first penguin chicks of this season hatched near Akademik Vernadsky station19.12.23, 05:00