Skeagles (Family: Raptistercoraridae), a derived group of skuas, are still the dominant carnivore of Antarctica. Their size goes from a large pigeon to a griffon vulture, like the gigantic barren skeagle (Stepaaquila lapida), which can weigh 12 kg (26.5 pounds) in adulthood. It's a strong skeagle that possesses a large wingspan, perfect to glide over large tree-less lands without consuming too much energy. Their favorite prey are large anatids, but also large rails can be part of their diet. Herbivores are taken down by "riding" them, grabbing their back with their strong talons and then tearing their flesh with their beak. The unlucky prey will die from bleeding soon after. The woodland counterpart of the barren skeagle is the beech skeagle (Stercorastor dasos), as large as a golden eagle, it's specialized in preying on razorbills: these giant geese are taken down by injuring their long and exposed neck, damaging their carotid. Its wingspan is proportionally small compared to its size, a surely helpful adaptation to move inside the forest. As its name suggests, this skeagle is tied to austral beeches like Ignothofagus, where it commonly nests. 

Aside from skeagles, a new family of birds has recently settled in Antarctica: the Accipitriformes group. At the moment, the only known species is the glacial vulture (Antarctichatartes fuliginosum) a New World vulture with a monotonous grey pattern, that reached Antarctica from South America. Their gigantic size (up to 3 meters of wingspan [9,9 feet]) help them cover long distances in search of carrion. They are sturdy vultures that successfully kleptoparasite kills of large skeagles. Other vagrant birds of prey are known in Antarctica for the last 4 million years, but they have never been able to colonize it, probably due to a competitive exclusion caused by skeagles. But, it's a matter of time before this fragile equilibrium will be destroyed.

With the expansion and diversification of the kelp forest, new species of aquatic birds have made their appearance on antarctic coasts. The colonel shag (Australicorax fuscus) is surely one of them: it's without doubt one of the largest cormorants that ever existed, rivaling the size of the holocenic spectacled cormorant. Sexual dimorphism is only visible during summer, when males develop an extremely complex nuptial plumage that remotely resembles a human uniform. Like its ancestors, the colonel shag dives in search of fish and invertebrates. At the end of the hunt, they often roost in groups, keeping their wings open to dry them up.

A more unusual cormorant is the land shag (Limnicorax kontos). Unlike other species of the same family, the land shag hunts without diving but by stealth, similarly to a heron. Preys can be both aquatic and terrestrial, despite all being linked to wetlands, where this species can only be found. Its relatively long legs help this shag to move way better on land than swimming.