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| Parasitic Jaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus) |
Kleptoparasitism: a form of feeding in which one animal takes prey or other food from another that has caught, collected, or otherwise prepared the food, including stored food.
Jaegers, also called skuas, are among the "tundra-nesters." That is they nest in Alaska, the Northwest Territories of Canada, and land around the Hudson Bay. Indeed, some of the colder places in Winter, are among the more biologically rich in the Spring and Summer.
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| whatbird.com |
In the winter for this hemisphere, we in the Monterey Bay-area of California are fortunate enough to have sporadic (rare, at times) views and experiences with jaegers. This winter, we have at least a pair of Parasitic Jaegers around the Santa Cruz harbor in Santa Cruz County. An individual of the pair is represented in these photographs.
Jaegers' generally feed by "harrassing" other seabirds into giving up or dropping their food item. Very aerodynamic and maneauverable, these fast-flyers persistantly chase and chase until others relent their prey item.
I suppose there are some that view birds utilizing kleptoparasitism as acting "mean" toward the gulls and terns they decide to chase. However, they in fact represent a balance struck over time in nature. Their method of feeding is just that: their method.
Who are we as a species to judge them anyways?
Keep an eye out for these wonderful birds on and near our coasts and beaches this winter. They are a pleasure to respectfully observe.
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