Brown Skua

Scientific Name: Stercorarius antarcticus

Population Estimate: 26K - 28K

Range / Habitat: Seabird of the circumpolar subantarctic. In New Zealand breeds on Chatham Islands, near Stewart Island, Fiordland coast plus a variety of other small islands.

Field Notes: Large, stocky gull-shaped bird. All brown except for conspicuous white flashes on wings. South Polar Skua with lighter body and yellow feathering on hindneck. Juvenile Kelp Gull more mottled in appearance without white wing flashes.

Personal Notes: Seen in the Foveaux Strait near Stewart Island. This excellent flier could take food from the air when thrown. Maori name Hakoakoa.

Arctic Skua

Scientific Name: Stercorarius parasiticus

Population Estimate: 500K-10M (per BirdLife)

Range / Habitat: The parasitic jaeger breeds on the tundra and coastal marshes in the Arctic. In the winter, it usually is found on the open ocean close to the shoreline. The parasitic jaeger is found in northern Alaska and northern Canada during the breeding season.

Field Notes:Two different light and dark morphs of the parasitic jaeger exist.The light morph has ashy-brown upperparts, whitish underparts, and the sides of its head and neck are yellowish, while in contrast, the dark morph of the parasitic jaeger is uniformly brown all over. Intermediates between these two morphs also exist.Most individuals of both morphs have pale or white panels on the underside of the wings.The parasitic jaeger has a long, wedge-shaped tail, with two thin, pointed feathers which extend beyond the end of the tail. The bill, which is slightly hooked is greyish-black, as are the legs.

Personal Notes: Also known as Parasitic Jaeger or Parasitic Skua.

Great Skua

Scientific Name: Stercorarius skua

Population Estimate: 50K

Range / Habitat: Breeds on moorland near the sea. Winters at sea.These birds are summer visitors to Scotland and many winter along the Atlantic coast of Europe.

Field Notes: It is the sheer bulk of this bird which makes it quite different from the other skuas. Its broader wings, short tail big body and thick neck are more reminiscent of the bigger gulls but this bird has bold white wing panels even more conspicuous than in the other skuas.

Personal Notes: