A pirate
A skua chases other seabirds until they drop their catch, then snatches it in the air.
Antarctic ice
South polar skua
Stercorarius maccormicki
A heavy, brown seabird like a dark gull, with a white flash in each wing.
- Size
- Wingspan about 1.3m
- Look for it
- October to December, then January to March
- Where
- Coasts of Antarctica, nesting near penguin colonies
Flies after you, and lands to strut about. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
Skua
Good to know
Six things about the skua
Penguin raider
It nests beside penguin colonies and takes eggs and chicks that are left unguarded.
Seen at the Pole
Skuas have been seen at the South Pole itself, further south than any other bird.
Pole to pole
After breeding, some fly all the way to the North Atlantic and the North Pacific.
A fierce parent
It dives at the head of anything that comes near its nest, including people.
It knows your face
Scientists found that skuas can tell one person from another, and remember who has been near their nests.
The real thing
Photos of the skua
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Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
How to spot one
Look near any penguin colony: a skua is usually standing close by, watching for a chance. Britain has its own great skuas, in Shetland and Orkney.
How to help
Skuas are a natural part of a penguin colony and need no special help. Keep your distance from nests: they will tell you if you are too close.
Keep going