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Brown skua or something else?

General birdwatching discussion, help with bird identification, and all other things relating to wild birds and birding in NZ that don't fit in one of the other forums.
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smeerkat
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Joined: Wed May 21, 2025 8:10 am

Brown skua or something else?

Post by smeerkat »

I saw this bird chasing a kelp gull near Sandfly Beach (though the pictures seem to show the opposite). My first thought was brown skua but I'm not very familiar with ocean birds. It doesn't seem to have the white wing flashes, but otherwise it does seem to match the description quite well. Anyone have an idea?
2026-01-10_14-47-22~2.jpg
(17.31 KiB) Viewed 281 times
2026-01-10_14-47-20_0001.jpg
(11.86 KiB) Viewed 281 times
2026-01-10_14-47-16.jpg
(6.75 KiB) Viewed 279 times
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Oscar Thomas
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Re: Brown skua or something else?

Post by Oscar Thomas »

Juvenile kelp gull, they take several years to gain adult colouring.
Oscar Thomas Photography - https://www.facebook.com/oscarthomasnz
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smeerkat
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Re: Brown skua or something else?

Post by smeerkat »

Ah, darn.. why is birding so hard.

Thanks!
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