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Bird Sightings : Hebrides : Arctic Skua

Arctic Skua

(Parasitic Skua, Arctic Jaeger)

Stercorarius parasiticus

Gaelic: Fàisgadair

Photograph © Martin Scott
Brue - Isle of Lewis - Outer Hebrides (Western Isles)
17th September, 2006

 

Our Skua photographs

Great Skua Flight	Great Skua Flight	Great Skua Flight	Great Skua	Great Skua	Great Skua	Great Skua Chick still downy	Great Skua Chick 1 week later	Arctic Skua	Pomarine Skua

 

• Arctic Skua
• Stercorarius parasiticus
• Gaelic: Fàisgadair
• UK: Estimated 3,200 breeding pairs
• WI: Uncommon migrant breeder (10-99 breeding pairs) and usually uncommon passage visitor (low numbers)
• We have three different plumage forms of the Arctic Skua: pale, medium and dark.
  Very distinctive tail - easiest identification feature. A pirate that will harrass another bird until it drops it's food.
• Max recorded life span 25 years
• Similar birds: Pomarine Skua , Long-tailed Skua, Great Skua
  
  

 

Actic Skua records in the Western Isles

Uncommon migrant breeder (10-99 breeding pairs) and usually uncommon passage visitor (low numbers)
Source: Outer Hebrides Bird Report (2001)

On the chart below the darker the shade of blue the more abundant the Arctic Skua is during a month or the more likely you are to see it.

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D

(Source: Outer Hebrides Birds Checklist)

 

Other local bird photographs

Sources of information for the bird sightings section

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