Trivia question for Jun-18-2011

Olivia doesn’t like bullies but she also feels that some are misunderstood which is why she picked this bird for her trivia.  These birds are ruthless pirates that chase and bully weaker seabirds to make them surrender their fish.  Adaptable and agile as well as aggressive, it also hunts small prey, robs nests and scavenges carrion.

This species breeds in the north of Eurasia and North America, with significant populations as far south as northern Scotland. It nests on dry tundra, higher fells and islands, laying up to four olive-brown eggs. It is usually silent except for newing and wailing notes while on the breeding grounds. It will fly at the head of a human or fox approaching its nest. Although it cannot inflict serious damage, it is a frightening and painful experience. It is a migrant, wintering at sea in the tropics and southern oceans.

So here are Olivia’s questions: Tell us what kind of bird this is and tell us what larger bird uses the same cunning egg stealing tactics to steal this birds eggs?  Also, stealing food from other birds is their main source of food.  Tell us what is causing a decline of these birds in parts of it’s range?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations to Veronica from Ohio for sending us the answers to our trivia.  The pesky bird we featured is the Parasitic Jaeger.  The Parasitic Jaeger, also known as the Arctic Skua or Parasitic Skua, is a seabird in the skua family. These guys fall victim to its own cunning tactics of egg stealing by the larger Great Skua.

I some parts of their natural habitat, these birds are becoming scarce because of overfishing.  In areas where fishing is not regulated, overfishing is causing smaller birds to seek food elsewhere.  Since the Parasitic Jaeger relies on stealing food from smaller birds, they too are declining due to our overfishing habits.  Here is more on these bullies of the seas: Parasitic Jaeger

Thanks for playing along 😉