What do Snow petrels do?
Snow petrels are carnivores (piscivores) and scavengers. They feed mainly on fish, some cephalopods, mollusks, and krill, as well as carrion in the form of seal placentas, dead/stillborn seals, whale carcasses, and dead penguin chicks.
How do Snow petrels adapt to their environment?
In addition to the cryptic coloring (camouflage) so they blend into snowy ice, these guys have some other interesting adaptations. They store up nasty-smelling fish oil to feed their chicks and will vomit it at their opponent when they’re mad.
How do Snow petrels survive the cold in Antarctica?
As small birds, nesting in crevices gets them out of the wind so reducing their risk of chilling in the wind and also protects them from nest raiding birds such as skuas. Snow petrels have been known to nest far inland on the Antarctic continent, 325 km.
What is a group of Snow petrels called?
Snow petrels are social in that they form breeding colonies, and in the off season hang out on ice floes in flocks, that number in the hundreds.
Are snow petrels endangered?
Least Concern (Population stable)
Snow petrel/Conservation status
Are snow petrels scavengers?
Colonial nesters, Snow Petrels breed on cliffs and rock faces sometimes as far as 325 km inland. Snow Petrels mainly feed on krill, fish and squid which they catch while on the wing, but also carrion which they will occasionally scavenge on land.
How many eggs do snow petrel lay?
One white egg
One white egg is laid in late November to mid-December. The egg is incubated for 41–49 days and the chick is brooded for eight days. The chick then remains in the nest for an additional seven weeks. Snow petrel chicks leave the nest in late-February to mid-May.
Where do blue eyed shags live?
The imperial cormorant, or also known as the imperial shag or blue-eyed shag, is a large bird that belongs to the Phalacrocoracidae family. The imperial shag (Phalacrocorax atriceps) lives in South Georgia, Argentina, Chile, and in more places in South America. They are also found in parts of Antarctica.
Do skuas live in Antarctica?
Distribution: Widespread throughout coastal regions in Antarctica, migrates across the equator in the Antarctic winter reaching as far as Alaska and Greenland. Skuas have been seen at the south pole.
Are Snow petrels endangered?
What are the Snow petrels predators?
Snow petrels’ main predator on breeding grounds is the south polar skua (Catharacta maccormicki).