Plant consumer innovation in skuas

Abstract

We report observations of alien dandelion (Taraxacum officinale group) consumption in an opportunistic predatory seabird, the brown skua (Stercorarius antarcticus lonnbergi), from a natural population on île Verte within the Kerguelen archipelago. Observations on a nearby island suggest that this behaviour is not specific to our study area, paving the way to future studies investigating whether this consumer innovation prevails in skua populations and results in dietary benefits.