© Marcel Gil Velasco
© Margaret Viens
© Yeray Seminario
© Ramit Singal
+ 4
© Attila Steiner
© Alexander Lees
© Nigel Voaden

Great Skua Stercorarius skua

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Identification

POWERED BY MERLIN

Powerful dark brown seabird, resembles a dark, heavily built immature gull. Note eye-catching white flashes in the primaries when in flight. Adults have distinct pale mottling on the upperparts, which serves to separate them from adults of the very similar South Polar Skua. Juveniles are more uniformly colored, with warm-colored and largely unmarked underparts; note bulkier build and more powerful flight than Pomarine Jaeger. Breeds locally on moorland of islands and coasts in northern Europe, where aggressive near nests. Otherwise lives at sea, but may be seen from shore during windy conditions during migration periods. Feeds by pirating gulls and other seabirds, also by scavenging at fishing boats.

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