Bonxie
Shetlopedia - The Shetland Encyclopaedia
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| Common Name: | Great Skua |
|---|---|
| Shetland Name: | Bonxie |
| Scientific Name: | Stercorarius skua |
| Norwegian Name: | Storjo |
| Swedish Name: | Storlabb |
| German Name: | Grosse Raubmöwe |
| Dutch Name: | Grote Jager |
| French Name: | Grand Labbe |
| Best Places: | Hermaness National Nature Reserve, Unst; Foula |
| Best Time: | May to September |
Pelagic and coastal waters. Breeds in scattered colonies on moors near to sea.
Keep clear of their nests especially when breeding!
George C Atkinson, an ironmaster from Newcastle and a travelling naturalist to Shetland in 1832 described the bonxies as a specia under threat of eventual extirpation. After studying the birds around Ollaberry he gave the following figures about the whole bonxie population in Shetland:"... there were only about ten or less pairs on Ronas Hill, less on Foula and two on Herma Ness."
