- Stercorarius chilensis
Catharacta chilensis
Identification
60cm
- Greyish-brown upperparts and head
- Neck striped with white in front and ochre on rear
- Reddish-ochre upper tail coverts, under wing coverts, chest and abdomen
- Dark brown wings
- Black bill and legs
These skuas are well marked with the dark cap and light cheeks. Cinnamon underwing coverts seems to be an important identification point.
Distribution
South America: found on the coasts of southern Chile and southern Argentina; ranges north to tropics.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1] which in the past has been placed in genus Catharacta. Prior to that it has been involved in a series of splits, originally being placed in Great Skua.
Habitat
Coastal zones.
Behaviour
Breeding
They nest colonially in low peat bogs. The nests are made from grass the clutch consists of 2-3 coffee and pale purple eggs with grey spots.
Diet
The diet includes eggs and nestlings; they also scavenge at rubbish tips.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Aves de Chile
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Chilean Skua. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 1 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Chilean_Skua
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
