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parasitic jaeger (arctic skua)

Arctic skua

Hi,

I think it is a juvenile Long-Tailed Skua.

Cheers

Paul

Well, it's a juvenile skua of some sort, either pomarine or Arctic. I'll go with Arctic skua, because it doesn't seem to have the extra indistinct pale stripe under the wing that pomarines have. And is that a flesh-footed shearwater behind it, and is it slightly larger than the mystery bird?

juvenile Black-backed Gull. Other possibilities would be one of the juvenile skuas but bill and head shape rule those out.
Cheers, Tony Wilson.

Juvinile Artic Skua

Juvenile Pomarine Skua: bill is not heavy enough for juvenile Southern Black-backed Gull. The projecting central tail feathers will grow longer, but are distinctive. The barred underparts, including the underwing, also distinguish it from SBBG, in which the patterns in the largely brown plumage are not so marked or uniform. Given my track record in this, I'll drink a glass of wine and prepare to be told I'm wrong...again!

imm arctic skua

the longer bill length, prominent wing flash, and apparently pointed central retrices lead away from juv pale Long-tailed Skua.


immature (2nd year) pale Arctic Skua.

Sub-Antarctic Skua . Catharacta antarctica subspecies lonnbergi