Fish from a stranger
What happens when your colony collapses, your numbers are too low and you can’t protect your chicks from predators? What if there’s still an excess of food but too few mouths to feed?
In those circumstances you get allofeeding, where other members of the colony feed chicks which aren’t their own. Non-breeding individuals and failed breeders join in to help protect and raise other birds’ chicks.
It does result in some very fussy and seriously overfed chicks. Here’s an Arctic Tern chick, one of only a handful of survivors, being fussy about which adult it takes fish from.
Would you take fish from a strange bird?
More Arctic Terns
An Arctic Tern with a Lumpfish Lumpfish grow to be large fish, sometimes washed up on the beaches of Westray. To see them as tiny fish,… read more
Fish on parade The Arctic Terns which breed on Westray come back with a constant procession of fish and then parade them up… read more
Time, slowed Arctic Terns live their lives in a rush. They've got to get their family ready for a journey from pole… read more
First flight I watched an Arctic Tern colony struggle to raise chicks over the last summer. There was plenty of food, although… read more
Feeding time One of the most interesting aspects of bird behaviour is watching parents feeding their young. In this case, I can't… read more
Arctic Tern on the handrail We had only just arrived on Papa Westray when we saw an Arctic Tern on the handrail. They're such handsome… read more
No excess baggage allowed Arctic Terns have short legs. Comically short legs. Once you see it, you can't unsee it. They need as little… read more
The Arctic Tern and the Lumpfish There are 60 Arctic Terns in this colony but sadly only three surviving chicks. That's better than the collapsed colony… read more