Difference between revisions of "Brown Skua" - BirdForum Opus

Latest revision as of 21:48, 17 April 2023

Alternative names: Southern Skua, Subantarctic Skua, Antarctic Skua, Falkland Skua

Adult. Race S. a. lonnbergi
Photo © by Joseph Morlan
Salisbury Plain, South Georgia, 5 March 2018

Stercorarius antarcticus

Identification

Race S. a. lonnbergi displaying
Photo © by Rodrigo Tapia
Ardley Peninsula, King George Island, South Shetland Archipelago, Antarctica, January 1992

Size: 52-64 cm (20½-25¼ in), wing 35.5-40.2 cm, wingspan 126-160 cm, females on average are larger in most measurements, most noticeably in wing length.
Nominate subspecies

Brown overall plumage, variable from light to dark
Pale streaking above
Dark cap (often reduced to a mask in light morph birds)

Variations

Other races are larger, darker and less streaked above. Juveniles uniformly dark.

Distribution

Circumpolar Subantarctic islands, Antarctic Peninsula, Tristan da Cunha and Gough Islands; Falkland Islands and southern Argentina from Chubut to Tierra del Fuego.

Taxonomy

This species has been placed in the genus Catharacta with the other large skuas (Sibley & Monroe, 1993; Clements, 2000).

Older texts and some current field guides will treat Brown Skua as a part of Great Skua.

Subspecies

Nominate race
Photo © by zweiblumen
East Cove, Falkland Islands, 2004

There are 3 subspecies^[1]:

S.a. antarcticus breeds in the Falkland Islands, and south-east South America: Smallest, most heavily streaked.
S.a. hamiltoni breeds on Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island: Larger, darker, narrower streaks.
S.a. lonnbergi breeds on the Antarctic Peninsula and Subantarctic Islands: Like S. a. hamiltoni but larger.

The subspecies lonnbergi has been treated as a full species Stercorarius lonnbergi by some authorities.^[2]

Habitat

Pelagic. Inland (during breeding season)

Behaviour

Breeding

Oct-Nov onwards, on flat grassy areas or short grass heaths. Nest is an unlined or sparsely so, scrape. 1-2 eggs, incubated 28-32 days, young leave nest within 1-2 days and fledge in 40-50 days. Sexual maturity at six years.

Diet

Scavenger at refuse tips, predates penguin eggs and chicks and burrow nesting seabirds at night.

References

Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Avibase
BF member observations
Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved May 2018)

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Brown Skua. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 14 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Brown_Skua

External Links

This thread discusses both identification and taxonomy of different Skua species and subspecies

Search for photos of Brown Skua in the gallery

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{stub}}
+'''Alternative names: Southern Skua, Subantarctic Skua, Antarctic Skua, Falkland Skua'''
-;Stercorarius antarctica
+[[Image:SubantarcticBrownSkuaIMG 1903.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Adult.  Race ''S. a. lonnbergi'' <br />Photo &copy; by {{user|jmorlan|Joseph Morlan}}<br />Salisbury Plain, [[South Georgia]], 5 March 2018]]
-[[Image:Southern_Skua.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by zweiblumen<br />Photo taken: East Cove, Falkland Islands]]
+;[[:Category:Stercorarius|Stercorarius]] antarcticus<br />
 ==Identification==
+[[Image:12761Catharacta antarctica.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Race ''S. a. lonnbergi'' displaying<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Rodrigo+Tapia|Rodrigo Tapia}}<br />Ardley Peninsula, King George Island, South Shetland Archipelago, Antarctica, January 1992]]
+Size: 52-64 cm (20½-25¼ in), wing 35.5-40.2 cm, wingspan 126-160 cm, females on average are larger in most measurements, most noticeably in wing length.<br />
+Nominate subspecies
+*Brown overall plumage, variable from light to dark
+*Pale streaking above
+*Dark cap (often reduced to a mask in light morph birds)
+====Variations====
+Other races are larger, darker and less streaked above. Juveniles uniformly dark.
 ==Distribution==
-Falklands and Southern Argentina from Chubut to Tierra del Fuego.
+Circumpolar Subantarctic islands, Antarctic Peninsula, Tristan da Cunha and Gough Islands; [[Falkland Islands]] and southern [[Argentina]] from Chubut to Tierra del Fuego.
 ==Taxonomy==
-Brown Skua (which is also known as Southern Skua or Subantarctic Skua) has three subspecies: ''antarcticus'' breeds in the [[Falkland Islands]], and south-east [[South America]]; ''hamiltoni'' breeds on [[Tristan da Cunha]] and [[Gough Island]]; and ''lonnbergi'' on the [[Antarctic Peninsula]] and around e.g., [[New Zealand]]. The subspecies ''lonnbergi'' has been treated as a full species ''Stercorarius lonnbergi'' by some authorities. Older texts and some current field guides will treat Brown Skua as a part of [[Great Skua]].
+This species has been placed in the genus [[:Category:Catharacta|''Catharacta'']] with the other large skuas (Sibley & Monroe, 1993; Clements, 2000).
+Older texts and some current field guides will treat Brown Skua as a part of [[Great Skua]].
+====Subspecies====
+[[Image:Southern_Skua.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Nominate race<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|zweiblumen|zweiblumen}}<br />East Cove, [[Falkland Islands]], 2004]]
+There are 3 subspecies<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>:
+*''S.a. antarcticus'' breeds in the [[Falkland Islands]], and south-east [[South America]]: Smallest, most heavily streaked.
+*''S.a. hamiltoni'' breeds on Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island: Larger, darker, narrower streaks.
+*''S.a. lonnbergi'' breeds on the [[Antarctica|Antarctic Peninsula]] and Subantarctic Islands: Like ''S. a. hamiltoni'' but larger.
+The subspecies ''lonnbergi'' has been treated as a full species ''Stercorarius lonnbergi'' by some authorities.<sup>[[#References|[2]]]</sup>
 ==Habitat==
+Pelagic. Inland (during breeding season)
 ==Behaviour==
-Breeding: Oct-Nov onwards, on flat grassy areas or short grass heaths. Nest is an unlined or sparsely so, scrape. 1-2 eggs, incubated 28-32 days, young leave nest within 1-2 days and fledge in 40-50 days. Sexual maturity at six years.
-Diet: Scavenger at refuse tips, predates penguin eggs and chicks and burrow nesting seabirds at night.
+====Breeding====
+[[Image:SubantarcticBrownSkuaIMG 1936.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Juvenile.  Race ''S. a. lonnbergi'' <br />Photo &copy; by {{user|jmorlan|Joseph Morlan}}<br />Salisbury Plain, [[South Georgia]], 5 March 2018]]
+Oct-Nov onwards, on flat grassy areas or short grass heaths. Nest is an unlined or sparsely so, scrape. 1-2 eggs, incubated 28-32 days, young leave nest within 1-2 days and fledge in 40-50 days. Sexual maturity at six years.
+====Diet====
+Scavenger at refuse tips, predates penguin eggs and chicks and burrow nesting seabirds at night.
+==References==
+#{{Ref-Clements6thAug17}}#Avibase
+#BF member observations
+#Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved May 2018)
+{{ref}}
 ==External Links==
 *[http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=63072&highlight=skua+australia This thread discusses both identification and taxonomy of different Skua species and subspecies]
-{{GSearch|Stercorarius+antarctica}}
+<br />
-*[http://www.orientalbirdimages.org/birdimages.php?action=birdspecies&Bird_ID=2755&Bird_Image_ID=8706&Bird_Family_ID=102 View more images of this species on Orientalbirdimages]
+{{GSearch|"Brown Skua" {{!}} "Stercorarius antarcticus" {{!}} "Southern Skua" {{!}} "Subantarctic Skua" {{!}} "Antarctic Skua" {{!}} "Falkland Skua" {{!}} "Catharacta antarctica" }}
+{{GS-checked}}1
+<br />
+<br />
-[[Category:Birds]]
+[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Stercorarius]]