Great Skua

The Great Skua, Stercorarius skua, is a large seabird in the skua family Stercorariidae.

This is a large skua at up to 58cm length. It breeds in Iceland, Norway and the Scottish islands. It nests on coastal moorland and rocky islands, laying usually two eggs. Like other skuas, it will fly at the head of a human or other intruder approaching its nest. Although it cannot inflict serious damage, it is a frightening and painful experience with a bird of this size. It is a migrant, wintering at sea in the Atlantic Ocean.

This bird eats mainly fish, but also robs gulls, terns and even Gannets of their catches. Like most other skua species, it continues this piratical behaviour throughout the year, showing great agility as it harasses its victims.

Distinguishing this skua from the other North Atlantic skuas (Arctic Skua, Pomarine Skua and Long-tailed Skua) is relatively straightforward. The Herring Gull size, massive barrel chest and white wing flashes of this bird are distinctive even at a distance. It is sometimes said to give a Buzzard-like impression. Adults are streaked greyish brown, with a black cap, juveniles are a warmer brown and unstreaked below. The flight is direct and powerful.

Identification of this skua is only complicated when it is necessary to distinguish it from the closely-related large southern hemisphere skuas.