South polar skua facts for kids
Quick facts for kids South polar skua |
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| A south polar skua in Terra Nova Bay | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Stercorarius
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| Species: |
maccormicki
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| Synonyms | |
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Catharacta maccormicki |
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The south polar skua (Stercorarius maccormicki) is a big seabird. It belongs to the skua family, called Stercorariidae. People sometimes call it MacCormick's skua. This name comes from Robert McCormick, an explorer and ship's doctor. He was the first person to collect a sample of this bird. Some scientists group this bird and other large skuas, like the great skua, into a different group called Catharacta.
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About the South Polar Skua
The south polar skua is a large bird. It grows to be about 53 cm (21 in) long. Adult birds have greyish-brown feathers on their backs. Their heads and undersides can be whitish or straw-brown. This color difference helps tell them apart from other similar birds.
Young skuas and adult dark-colored skuas are harder to identify. You might need to look for things like their cooler brown feathers. Also, the base of their beak is often blue.
How to Identify This Skua
It's usually easy to tell this skua apart from other skuas found in the Northern Hemisphere. These include the Arctic skua, Pomarine jaeger, and long-tailed skua. The south polar skua is very large. It has a big, strong chest and white flashes on its wings. These features make it easy to spot even from far away.
Its flight is straight and powerful. It is harder to tell the south polar skua apart from the great skua. The great skua lives in the North Atlantic. It is also hard to tell it apart from other large skuas in the Southern Hemisphere. Because of these challenges, it is rare to confirm a south polar skua sighting in Western Europe.
Where South Polar Skuas Live
These birds make their nests on Antarctic coasts. They usually lay two eggs in November and December. The south polar skua is a migratory bird. This means it travels far away for winter. It spends winter at sea in the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Atlantic Ocean. In the eastern North Atlantic, you will find the great skua instead. South polar skuas have even been seen at the actual Geographic South Pole. A place called Megalestris Hill on Petermann Island in Antarctica is named after an old name for this bird.
South Polar Skua Behavior
Like other skuas, the south polar skua will fly at people or animals that come too close to its nest. This is to protect its eggs and chicks.
What South Polar Skuas Eat
The south polar skua mainly eats fish. It often gets fish by stealing them from other birds. It will chase gulls, terns, and even gannets until they drop their catch. It also eats other birds, rabbits, and dead animals (called carrion).
Like most other skua species, it continues this "pirate" behavior all year. It uses its strength to bother its victims. It is not as quick or agile as the smaller skuas, also known as jaegers.
See also
In Spanish: Págalo antártico para niños
