A DRAMATIC chase is afoot between two seabirds above the icy waters of north-east Norway within the picture beneath. In a sly plan to steal a fish, an Arctic skua (Stercorarius parasiticus) tails a black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) whereas mirroring its flight sample.
The placing shot, captured by Alwin Hardenbol on the Swedish College of Agricultural Sciences, clinched prime prize within the “Relationships in nature” class within the 2024 BMC Ecology and Evolution and BMC Zoology Picture Competitors. Kleptoparasitism (stealing meals from others) is widespread amongst skuas.