11 September 2025

Skuas are predatory seabirds that eat fish, offal and carrion in the non-breeding season, other birds’ eggs and chicks during the breeding season, and steal food from others at any time of year.

Of the seven skua species, brown skuas (Stercorarius antarcticus) live only in the Southern Ocean that surrounds Antarctica.

Every other bird gives brown skuas a wide berth and attack thems if they get near their nest. These Gentoo penguins are not happy to see two brown skuas at once.

In several respects brown skuas seem to be the crows of the Southern Ocean. They work together by hunting in groups at penguin nesting colonies, they gang up on other birds to steal their food and, like crows, they recognize and occasionally bond with individual humans such as Father Kirilov, the Eastern Orthodox clergymen at Trinity Church in early 2015.

Kirilov says he has also made friends with three large brown skuas, Antarctic scavenging birds often seen hovering outside his doorstep, waiting for the priest to toss them fresh fish.

“Since 2008, I constantly meet them here and talk to them,” the priest says, recalling the time a skua tried to make off with his pointed monk hat. “Sometimes they become naughty,” he smiles.

— Pravir.com, March 2015: Russian priest feels closer to God in serenity of Antarctica

That’s the upside. The downside is that if you band their young at the nest, they learn who you are and specifically attack you, just like crows. See a video of it at this vintage article.

Seabirds as Smart as Crows?