2) which leaves Antarctica after the breeding season to winter in the North Pacific and North Atlantic . Region. Strong direct flight with shallow wing beats.
An older name for the bird is MacCormick’s skua, after explorer and naval surgeon Robert McCormick, who first collected the type specimen.This species and the other large southern hemisphere skuas, together with great skua, are sometimes placed in a separate genus Catharacta. The South Polar Skua is among the larger seabirds of the predator family. An extensive multimedia section displays the latest photos, videos and audio selections from the Macaulay Library. South Polar Skuas have a huge migratory range, some wintering as far north as Alaska and Greenland. HDS21-20. Meet the South Polar Skua; South Polar Skua Meet the South Polar Skua. 1992). The light morph is pale gray on the head, neck, and underparts. With the help of over 7,000 of the world’s best wildlife filmmakers and photographers, conservationists and scientists, Arkive.org featured multi-media fact-files for more than 16,000 endangered species. UWI The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago Ecology ... HABITAT AND ACTIVITY. When not breeding, South Polar skuas live entirely at sea.
Black cap and face, grey-pink bill with black tip, and pale yellow on the side of the head and nape. It occurs regularly off both our coasts, but this predatory seabird nests only far to the south of us, around the edges of the Antarctic continent. 3. The female usually lays 2 eggs, and both parents help to incubate them. The female usually lays 2 eggs, and both parents help to incubate them. The larger of the two skuas is the Great Skua, which is a stocky brown plumaged seabird that can be found far out at sea, mostly in the northern ocean waters. Light phase adult has pale gray-brown head and underparts. Feeds on fish, krill and squid. South Polar Skua females are larger than the males. HBW Alive contains information on Descriptive notes , Voice , Habitat , Food and Feeding , Breeding , Movements , Status and Conservation plus a list of bibliographical references for this species account.
It breeds south of 60° in Antarctica, including the Ross Sea region, which as the Ross Dependency is territory claimed by New Zealand. Antarctica (48) Destination. An older name for the bird is MacCormick's skua, after explorer and naval surgeon Robert McCormick, who first collected the type specimen.This species and the other large Southern Hemisphere skuas, such as the great skua, are sometimes placed in a separate genus Catharacta. Except for during the breeding season, the south polar skua lives on the open ocean. South Polar Skuas will often steal food from other birds, even grabbing gulls and other seabirds in flight and shaking them to make them drop their catch. Dark phase adult has a dark brown body with a large white patch at base of primaries visible in flight. Diet . Dark bill, thick and heavy; short, broad tail. Habitat. The south polar skua (Stercorarius maccormicki) is a large seabird in the skua family, Stercorariidae. With the help of over 7,000 of the world’s best wildlife filmmakers and photographers, conservationists and scientists, Arkive.org featured multi-media fact-files for more than 16,000 endangered species. South Polar Skua Catharacta maccormicki Check out the full taxonomy and distribution of South Polar Skua on HBW Alive. The dark morph is uniformly dark grayish-brown above with a pale yellowish nape.