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Diet of the south polar skua Catharacta maccormicki at Cape Bird, Ross Island, Antarctica

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Abstract

Regurgitated pellets and fecal samples from south polar skuas Catharacta maccormicki breeding on Ross Island were analyzed for diet items. Adult penguin feathers were found in 79% of all the pellets and 42% of the fecal samples. Evidence of fish was found in 26% of the pellets and 39% of the fecal samples. The amount of refuse in the diet of skuas on Ross Island was directly related to the distance from McMurdo Station.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology Department, University of New Mexico, 87131, Albuquerque, NM, USA

    M. J. Mund & G. D. Miller

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  1. M. J. Mund
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  2. G. D. Miller
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Mund, M.J., Miller, G.D. Diet of the south polar skua Catharacta maccormicki at Cape Bird, Ross Island, Antarctica. Polar Biol 15, 453–455 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00239723

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00239723

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