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10

Great Skua (Stercorarius skua) German name(s): "Große Raubmöwe" Size: 50-58 cm; wing span 1.25-1.40 m Weight: 1.2-1.5 kg

Europe: Family Group 10 Family Group 10 Table Great Skua Caspian Gull Great Black-backed Gull American Herring Gull European Herring Gull Yellow-legged Gull Slender-billed Gull Iceland Gull Common Gull Ring-billed Gull Black-headed Gull Bonaparte's Gull Mediterranean Gull Little Gull Gull-billed Tern Common Tern Arctic Tern Little Tern Whiskered Tern Black Tern White-winged Black Tern Atlantic Puffin Razorbill Common Guillemot Black Guillemot Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Great Skuas are medium-sized seabirds. Their plumage is primarily dark brownish-grey, with lighter brown streaking (yellowish-brown on the neck). The scapulars have more silver-grey streaks. The primaries and secondaries are dark-grey; in flight they show conspicuous white wing "flashes". Their build is heavy, as is the grey, slightly hooked bill. The bill has a slightly darker grey tip than the inner parts. The irises are dark; legs and feet are dark-grey. Juveniles have more uniformly brown plumage on the front and the mantle. The head is dark-grey, while the upperwings are dark-grey with rufous to brown edge lining. The wing flashes are less conspicuous than in adults.

Taxonomy, classification See Great Skua at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to the ebird.org website. The global distribution of the Great Skua is available HERE . Great Skuas populate the entire northern Atlantic Ocean and its coastlines, from the north-eastern US (as far to the South as the Carolinas) in the West to western Africa in the East. In the North their distribution extends to beyond the polar circle. They can be found in southern Greenland, on Iceland and on and around Svalbard. Within that range they are migratory/dispersive, breeding along the shorelines of the northern parts of their range, while in winter they also enter the western Mediterranean Sea. While not breeding they spend a lot of time out on the open ocean or in coastal waters. In Europe Great Skuas breed on islands off Scotland, on Iceland and along the coastline of northern Norway. Their winter quarters overlap in part with the breeding range, from southern Norway and the islands to the North of Scotland southwards into the Atlantic Ocean northwards of the tropic of Cancer. They also enter the western Mediterranean Sea, up to the Cote d'Azure and Sicily, and they have recently started colonizing the western Baltic Sea. Anywhere else along the European coastline they can be found during migration.

Sightings Click here for sighting information G. Pinelas reports spotting a juvenile Great Skua in the port of Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, in January 2019. J. Pires reports spotting Great Skuas off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, in October 2018 and in the port of Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, in March 2019.

Photos

ADULT

Sex unknown

Lateral view of a Great Skua in flight, wings up (photo courtesy of J. Pires )
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2018]

Lateral view of a Great Skua in flight, wings down (photo courtesy of J. Pires )
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2018]

The white wing flashes of a Great Skua can be seen from a long way out (photo courtesy of J. Pires )
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2018]

Distant dorsal view of a Great Skua in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires )
[Port of Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, March 2019]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-frontal view of a juvenile Great Skua; note the heavy bill with dark tip (photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Port of Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, January 2019]

Near-lateral view of a juvenile Great Skua; note the pale markings on the wing feathers (photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Port of Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, January 2019]

Lateral view of a juvenile Great Skua (photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Port of Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, January 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Great Skua in flight; note the conspicuous wing flashes
[Port of Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, January 2019]

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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