South Polar Skua

South Polar Skua

Taxobox
name = South Polar Skua
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1


image_width = 250px
image_caption = A South Polar Skua in Adélie Land
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Charadriiformes
familia = Stercorariidae
genus = "Stercorarius"
species = "S. maccormicki"
binomial = "Stercorarius maccormicki"
binomial_authority = (Saunders, 1893)

The South Polar Skua, "Stercorarius maccormicki", is a large seabird in the skua family Stercorariidae. An older name for this bird is MacCormick’s Skua. This species and the other large southern hemisphere skuas, together with Great Skua, are sometimes placed in a separate genus "Catharacta".

This is a large bird at 53 cm length. It breeds on Antarctic coasts, usually laying two eggs in November and December. Like other skuas, it will fly at the head of a human or other intruder approaching its nest. It is a migrant, wintering at sea in the Pacific Indian and Atlantic Oceans. In the eastern North Atlantic it is replaced by the Great Skua.

The South Polar Skua eats mainly fish, which it often obtains by robbing gulls, terns and even gannets of their catches. It will also directly attack and kill other seabirds.

Like most other skua species, it continues this piratical behaviour throughout the year, showing less agility and more brute force than the smaller skuas when it harasses its victims.

Distinguishing this skua from the northern hemisphere Arctic, Pomarine and Long-tailed Skuas is relatively straightforward. The large size, massive barrel chest and white wing flashes of this bird are distinctive even at a distance. The flight is direct and powerful.

Identification of this skua is more complicated when it is necessary to distinguish it from the closely-related Great Skua of the North Atlantic, and the other large southern hemisphere skuas.

Adult South Polar Skuas are greyish brown above, and have a whitish (pale morph) or straw-brown (intermediate morph) head and underparts, and the contrast between head and body makes it easy to separate from similar species with good views.

Juveniles and adult dark morphs are harder to distinguish from their relatives, and more subjective or difficult-to-observe criteria, such as the colder brown plumage and blue bill base, must be used.

Identification problems make claims of any southern hemisphere skua in the eastern North Atlantic problematic, and few records of South Polar Skua have been accepted in Western Europe. Similar problems occur, of course, with extra-limital claims of Great Skua.

This bird is named after the naval surgeon Robert McCormick, who collected the type specimen.

In popular culture

* In the film "Happy Feet", young Emperor Penguin Mumble is beset by 4 South Polar Skuas that have mobster accents, the leader of which, bores everyone with his 'alien abduction'.

References

* Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
* "National Geographic" "Field Guide to the Birds of North" "America" ISBN 0-7922-6877-6
*" Seabirds" by Peter Harrison, ISBN 0-7470-1410-8

External links

* [http://www.gdargaud.net/Antarctica/Birds.html Antarctic bird information and images]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • south polar skua — Makormiko plėšikas statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Catharacta maccormicki; Stercorarius maccormicki angl. south polar skua vok. Antarktikskua, f rus. южнополярный поморник, m pranc. labbe de MacCormick, m ryšiai:… …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

  • Skua — Taxobox name = Skuas image caption = Pomarine Skua image width = 250px regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Charadriiformes familia = Stercorariidae familia authority = Gray, 1871 genus = Stercorarius genus authority =… …   Wikipedia

  • List of birds of South Africa — South Africa is a large country with a range of habitats including tropical and subtropical zones, and as such it has a wide range of birdlife.858 species have been recorded including 31 endemics and nine species introduced by man.The taxonomy of …   Wikipedia

  • List of birds of South Australia — This is a list of birds of South Australia:cite book | author = Horton, Philippa | chapter = Birds | editor = Robinson, A. C.; Casperson, K. D.; Hutchinson, M. N. | year = 2000 | title = A list of the vertebrates of South Australia | publisher =… …   Wikipedia

  • List of birds of South Korea — This is a list of the bird species recorded in South Korea. The avifauna of South Korea includes a total of 492 species, of which 2 have been introduced by humans, and 170 are rare or accidental. 1 species listed is extirpated in South Korea and… …   Wikipedia

  • Queen Maud Land — Dronning Maud Land …   Wikipedia

  • Seabird — This article is about the animal. For the alternative rock band of the same name, see Seabird (band). The Sooty Tern is highly aerial and marine and will spend months flying at sea, returning to land only for breeding.[1] Seabirds (also known as… …   Wikipedia

  • British Birds Rarities Committee — |The British Birds grouse logo|thumb|250px |rightThe British Birds Rarities Committee (BBRC), established in 1959, is the recognised national bird rarities committee for Britain. It assesses claimed sightings of rare birds ( BB rarities ), based… …   Wikipedia

  • Sibley-Monroe checklist 8 — The Sibley Monroe checklist was a landmark document in the study of birds. It drew on extensive DNA DNA hybridisation studies to reassess the relationships between modern birds. Ciconiiformes (continued)Chionididae* Chionis alba Snowy Sheathbill… …   Wikipedia

  • List of African birds — This list of African birds is a listing of all the bird species known from the continent of Africa. TOCrightNotesThere are over 45 billion different species of birds in Africa.The taxonomy of this list adheres to James Clitorus Birds of the World …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”