Arctic skuas could die out due to food shortage

A lack of food is behind a huge drop in the UK population of Arctic skuas, scientists have warned, after numbers declined by more than 80 per cent.

A study of 33 colonies in Orkney, Shetland and Handa, off Sutherland, recorded a decline in breeding pairs from 1,061 in 1992 to 200 in 2015.

The seabird could become extinct as a breeding species in the UK if the trend is not reversed, the RSPB said. Dr Allan Perkins, senior conservation scientist at RSPB Scotland, said: “Lack of food has been the biggest pressure for these birds and shows just how vulnerable our seabirds and marine life are.” The study is published in the Journal of Animal Ecology.