Ecomare

Skuas are the pirates among the seabirds; they are also called predator gulls. They get their food by stealing it away from other birds. For example, skuas will follow terns or kittiwakes so fanatically that they let their prey fall or regurgitate it. It is therefore logical that they often have their nests nearby colonies of other seabirds. They also prey upon lost eggs or young birds that have been left alone. There are three kinds of skuas regularly found in the North Sea: the great skua, the arctic skua and the pomarine skua.