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Pomarine Jaeger
Stercorarius pomarinus
Identify the Pomarine Jaeger by sound or photo and log your sightings with Birdpass.
The Pomarine Jaeger, or Pomarine Skua, is the heaviest of the three jaegers, a robust, broad-winged seabird that breeds on low Arctic tundra across Eurasia and North America and winters over tropical seas. Breeding adults have broad, twisted, spoon-shaped central tail feathers. It occurs in light and dark morphs. Genetically it is closer to the large skuas than to the smaller jaegers.
Did you know?
- Its breeding success depends on lemming years.
- Its spoon-tipped tail feathers are unique among skuas.
About the species
Identification
A large, robust skua. Adults have long central tail feathers with broad, twisted tips forming a distinctive “spoon” that separates it from other skuas. There are two morphs: the dark morph is almost entirely chocolate brown; the light morph is pale below and dark above, with a dark breast band and black cap. Both have a pale patch on the outer wing, often a double flash below. Young birds resemble young Arctic Skuas but are bulkier and broader-winged.
Family
Stercorariidae
Size
Large (crow)
Colours
brown, white, black, yellow
About the habitat
Breeds on low, wet Arctic tundra; outside the breeding season largely pelagic, passing along coasts and over seas on migration.
Diet
On the tundra mainly lemmings and other small mammals, as well as small birds, eggs and insects; at sea fish, carrion and scraps, often stolen from gulls, terns and even gannets.
Behaviour
A powerful, agile flier that chases other seabirds to steal their catch. It breeds only in years when lemmings are plentiful, nesting on the ground and aggressively defending its territory. Its calls include harsh chattering. On migration it often travels in flocks along coasts.
Sources
Photo: Patrick Coin (Patrick Coin), CC BY-SA 2.5 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stercorarius pomarinusPCCA20070623-3985B.jpg
Text: Wikipedia (English) + FinBIF species descriptions, CC BY-SA 4.0; FinBIF: CC BY 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomarine_jaeger
