GREAT SKUA
GREAT SKUA – (Stercorarius skua) – (See images below)
DESCRIPTION: The Great Skua adult is medium brown with lighter streaks. Eyes, bill, legs and webbed feet are black. Bill upper mandible ends with a small hook. Wings show a distinctive white patch at base of primaries. Juveniles have a more uniform brown color. Bird length is around 55 cm (22 inches).
VOICE: https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Stercorarius-skua
NAME: ‘Skua’ is the Faroese name for that bird, part of the same genus as the Jaegers. Latin genus name ‘Stercorarius’ refers to ‘dung’, as this species goes after fish scraps (offal) from fishing vessels.
HABITAT: Open oceans.
DIET: Birds, fish, also carrion. This skua attacks birds in flight (even the larger Great Black-backed Gull) by grabbing their wing, which makes the bird fall into the water.
NESTING: Nests in loose colonies not far from other seabird species. Usually two green-brown eggs are laid, incubated by both parents. Chicks fed by female.
DISTRIBUTION: Breeds in Iceland, Norway and Scottish islands. Outside breeding season can be found over north Atlantic Ocean.
Distribution Map: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_skua – /media/File:Stercorarius_skua_map.svg
ON PEI: Does not breed on Prince Edward Island, sightings listed as ‘accidental’ so far. See note below on bird vagrancy.
CONSERVATION: Population widespread, not at risk.
Vagrancy: In biology this means an animal going way outside its normal range. For birds, this can happen when there are storms and they get blown off course. On other times, the bird simply wanders in a different direction than usual. Here’s an article about vagrancy in birds.
SIMILAR SPECIES: Pomarine Jaeger, Parasitic Jaeger
REFERENCES: http://www.npolar.no/en/species/great-skua.html (Norwegian Polar Institute)
https://www.spitsbergen-svalbard.com/spitsbergen-information/wildlife/great-skua.html
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/great-skua
https://app.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob5690.htm (British Trust for Ornithology)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_skua
http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/1049/behavior/Great_Skua.aspx
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/great-skua (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds)
DESCRIPTION: The Great Skua adult is medium brown with lighter streaks. Eyes, bill, legs and webbed feet are black. Bill upper mandible ends with a small hook. Wings show a distinctive white patch at base of primaries. Juveniles have a more uniform brown color. Bird length is around 55 cm (22 inches).
VOICE: https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Stercorarius-skua
NAME: ‘Skua’ is the Faroese name for that bird, part of the same genus as the Jaegers. Latin genus name ‘Stercorarius’ refers to ‘dung’, as this species goes after fish scraps (offal) from fishing vessels.
HABITAT: Open oceans.
DIET: Birds, fish, also carrion. This skua attacks birds in flight (even the larger Great Black-backed Gull) by grabbing their wing, which makes the bird fall into the water.
NESTING: Nests in loose colonies not far from other seabird species. Usually two green-brown eggs are laid, incubated by both parents. Chicks fed by female.
DISTRIBUTION: Breeds in Iceland, Norway and Scottish islands. Outside breeding season can be found over north Atlantic Ocean.
Distribution Map: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_skua – /media/File:Stercorarius_skua_map.svg
ON PEI: Does not breed on Prince Edward Island, sightings listed as ‘accidental’ so far. See note below on bird vagrancy.
CONSERVATION: Population widespread, not at risk.
Vagrancy: In biology this means an animal going way outside its normal range. For birds, this can happen when there are storms and they get blown off course. On other times, the bird simply wanders in a different direction than usual. Here’s an article about vagrancy in birds.
SIMILAR SPECIES: Pomarine Jaeger, Parasitic Jaeger
REFERENCES: http://www.npolar.no/en/species/great-skua.html (Norwegian Polar Institute)
https://www.spitsbergen-svalbard.com/spitsbergen-information/wildlife/great-skua.html
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/great-skua
https://app.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob5690.htm (British Trust for Ornithology)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_skua
http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/1049/behavior/Great_Skua.aspx
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/great-skua (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds)
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| Great skua, Iceland, Ómar Runólfsson |
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| Great skua attacking Northern gannet |
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| Great skua close up, Scotland, by Elrond |
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| Great skua taking flight, by Chell Hill |
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| Great skua protecting nest, Murry Nurse |