Sea birds
Apart from the flightless penguins many other birds frequent the sea ice to feed and rest upon. Some of the most common are described here.
Skuas
The gull-like skuas are voracious predators and scavengers in Antarctica. Both the brown as well as the South Polar skua prey on animal or bird carcasses and eggs, but are also specialized in the killing of young penguins. They do this by distracting parent penguins and isolating there young which they then disembowell alive with there hooked, sharp beaks. Skuas, like the emperor penguins mate for life and return every year to their old breeding grounds on the Subantractic Islands or the continental mountains.
Snow petrel
Snow petrels breed mainly on the Subantarctic Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula which also represent their main foraging areas. However, in contrast to their larger relatives, snow petrels also penetrate deep into the pack ice zone to seek zooplankton in the open water between ice floes. Some snow petrels also breed in the snow and ice-free mountains far inland on the Antarctic continent. These populations feed in polynyas, large open water areas between the continent and the pack ice zone. Occasionally snow petrels may consume food regurgitated by penguins.