Long-tailed Skua (Stercorarius longicaudus)

OTHER NAMES: Long-tailed Jaeger
Latin Etymology: Stercorarius ("of dung") longicaudus ("long wing")

 

Intermediate morph Long-tailed Skua (Stercorarius longicaudus) at Bridlington Harbour, East Yorkshire - September 2023

Featured Subspecies: Stercorarius longicaudus longicaudus
Weight: 230-444g  /  Length: 35-58cm  /  Wingspan: 102-117cm
UK GREEN LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The smallest of the world's skuas, the Long-tailed is a breeder in the high Arctic tundra, it has an almost pigeon like face in some faces, making it seem an overall gentler bird than it's large cousins. That said, it is still both a hunter and a pirate, robbing other seabirds of their catch, as well as eating rodents.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Stercorariidae
Genus: Stercorarius
SUBSPECIES: S. l. longicaudus, S. l. pallescens

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A scarce passage migrant 
 - Several seen at Bridlington in September 2023

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Great Skua (Stercorarius skua)

OTHER NAMES: Bonxie
Latin Etymology: Stercorarius ("of dung") skua (derived from Faroese name)

Adult Great Skua (Stercorarius skua) at Flamborough Head, Yorkshire - September 2023

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 1.2-1.4 kg  /  Length: 50-58cm  /  Wingspan: 125-140cm
UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The largest of the skuas found in UK waters, the Great Skua - also often called the Bonxie after it's Shetland name - is a powerful predator and piratical feeder. It will harass other seabirds into dropping their catch, though it will also feed on smaller seabirds themselves. Their genetics is interesting in that studies have suggested that they share some sort of hybrid origin with Pomarine skua with one being the result of a hybrid lineage with the other evolving into a separate species, although precisely which is the hybrid population is unresolved.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Stercorariidae
Genus: Stercorarius
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A scarce breeder in North Scotland (9650+ pairs) and passage migrant
 - Seen at Flamborough Head in September 2023

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Arctic Skua (Stercorarius parasiticus)

OTHER NAMES: Parasitic Jaeger, Arctic Jaeger, Parasitic Skua
Latin Etymology: Stercorarius ("of dung") parasiticus ("parasitic)

First Calender Year Arctic Skua (Stercorarius parasiticus) at Winterton-on-Sea, Norfolk -  July 2023

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 300-650g  /  Length: 41-48cm  /  Wingspan: 107-125cm
UK RED LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Arctic Skua is the smallest of the four skuas found in the UK; a group that I'd had a lot of trouble catching up with at all.  The three smaller skuas (arctic, great and pomarine) all have fairly similar plumage and occur in different colour morphs broadly categorised as light and dark. Compared to the other two species, it has a shorter tail and is smaller.  They are migratory, breeding mostly around the Arctic ocean and migrating to spend Winters around the South of South America, Africa and Australasia. 

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Stercorariidae
Genus: Stercorarius
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A very local breeding species in the North of Scotland (2100 pairs) and passage migrant along all coasts.

 - A single dark phase bird seen at Herne Bay in October 2019, .

 - A single 1cy bird seen at Winterton-on-Sea in July 2023, .

UNITED STATES 
Breeds in Alaska, coastal passage elsewhere
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen on the Half Moon Bay Pelagic Trip

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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