A study on the siting, establishment and maintenance of territories in the South Polar Skua (Catharacta maccormicki)

Direct observations of conflicts and encounters through the summer and the changing position of boundaries was followed in relation to breeding state of the the skua pairs.

An independent assessment of a social hierarchy was made to allow investigation of the relation between this hierarchy and territory size, position and breeding success to be concluded. The relation between territory factor and breeding success, especially the survival of the chicks following the displacement of one of the two chicks from the nest that invariable occurs soon after both hatch was also recorded.