South Polar Skua

South Polar Skua photographed by Steve Mirick in California
Where Does It Breed
Southern hemisphere breeder mostly around Antarctica. Largest population around the Ross Sea Area (3) Breeds from October to February .

The south polar skua eats fish, krill, squid, carrion, crustaceans, mollusks and the eggs and chicks of seabirds. It may also follow ships at sea and eat the garbage thrown overboard.

South polar skua
South polar skuas breed in Antarctica and the South Shetland islands, but can be found found as far afield as Australia, Brazil and Japan.
Scientific name: Stercorarius maccormicki ...

South Polar Skua Stercorarius maccormicki
Described by: Saunders (1893)
Alternate common name(s): McCormick's Skua
Old scientific name(s): Catharacta maccormicki ...

South Polar Skua, Stercorarius maccormicki
Brown Skua, Stercorarius antarctica
Falkland Skua, Stercorarius (antarctica) antarctica
Tristan Skua, Stercorarius (antarctica) hamiltoni
Subantarctic Skua, Stercorarius (antarctica) lonnbergi ...

South Polar Skua Catharacta maccormicki (Saunders)
See Remarks under Great Skua.
Thayer's Gull Larus thayeri Brooks
See Remarks under Iceland Gull.

South polar skua (Catharacta maccormicki)
Southern skua (Catharacta antarctica)
Great skua (Catharacta skua)
Southern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialoides)
Snowy sheathbill (Chionis albus)
Chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarcticus) ...

South Polar Skua, Stercorarius maccormicki (A)
Pomarine Jaeger, Stercorarius pomarinus (A)
Parasitic Jaeger, Stercorarius parasiticus (A)
Long-tailed Jaeger, Stercorarius longicaudus (A) ...

chilensis, South Polar Skua S. maccormicki, and Brown Skua S. antarcticus as a single species but now they are ranked as separate species based on limited hybridization where in contact and on major biological differences among them.

Skuas are similar to jaegers but are bulkier, thicker-necked, and with more prominent wing patches. South Polar Skua is similar but lacks heavy streaking on the body and wing coverts and lacks reddish-brown tones to plumage instead being dark brown ...

December 2, 2011 " When it comes to choosing their wintering destinations Antarctic skuas are flexible. According to a new study, a great part of the South Polar skuas spend the Antarctic winter in the Northern ... > full story ...

South Polar Skua may be one of the most likely pelagic rarities. Brown Booby, Red-footed Booby, Red Phalarope, Long-tailed Jaeger, Roseate Tern, Brown Noddy, ...

Great Stercorarius skua Found: North America, Europe
Photographed by: 1) Kaido Karner 2) Steffen Foerster Photography 3) Dick Daniels in Scotland 4) Dick at Featherdale in Australia
Similar to its northern counterpart, the South Polar Skua ...

The Killer Whale is the other main predator of the Adelie Penguin, although they normally hunt larger species of Penguin further north. South Polar Skuas are known to prey on the Adelie Penguin's eggs if left unguarded, ...

See also: Skua, Petrel, Seabird, Great Skua, Jaeger