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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
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Similar species |
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Physical description |
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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.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Great
Skua at Wikipedia .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
.
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.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
G. Pinelas reports spotting a 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 again in
October 2019 and October 2020, and in the port of Sesimbra,
Setubal, Portugal, in March 2019. Others were found at Papoa,
near Cape Carvoeiro, Peniche, Portugal, in January 2023.
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Photos |
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ADULT |
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Near-frontal view of a moulting 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 moulting 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 moulting Great Skua (photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Port of Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, January 2019]
Near-frontal view of a Great Skua in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2020]
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's wing flashes from above
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2020]
Near-dorsal view of a Great Skua in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2020]
Near-dorsal view of a Great Skua in flight, wings up
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]
Near-dorsal view of a Great Skua in flight, wings down
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]
Near-dorsal/ventral view of a Great Skua in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2020]
Near-dorsal/ventral view of a moulting Great Skua in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]
Dorsal view of a Great Skua in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2020]
Distant comparison of Great Skuas in flight with a
Northern Gannet
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Port of Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, March 2019]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
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Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Great Skua in flight, wings up
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]
Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Great Skua in flight, wings flat
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]
Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Great Skua in flight, wings down
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 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.