Tuesday 21 May South polar skua (Stercorarius maccormicki)
What’s the World’s Favourite Species?Find out here. South polar
skua fact file - Find out more - Print factsheet South polar
skua description A widespread and prominent bird of the
Antarctic, the south polar skua (Stercorarius maccormicki) has a
rather notorious reputation as a proficient hunter and hostile
scavenger (3) (4). It is a large, heavy, barrel-chested species,
with broad, round wings and a short, broad tail (5). Despite
being a fairly large bird, the south polar skua generally has a
smaller head, a thinner and less prominently hooked bill,
shorter, less heavy legs and narrower wings than other skuas of
the same genus (2) (6). The male south polar skua is generally
smaller and lighter than the female, and the female also tends
to have paler plumage (3). The south polar skua is the greyest
of the skua species, lacking the warm brown colouration often
seen in other skuas. During the breeding season, the adults may
have narrow yellow streaks on