Brown Skua (Catharacta antarctica)

Other Scientific Names
Stercorarius antarcticus [SACC (2005)]

Other Names (World)
Brown Skua, Southern Skua, Southern Great Skua, Subantarctic Skua, Falkland Skua, Lonnberg's Skua (lonnbergi)

Family
Stercorariidae (Skuas)

Size
62 - 65 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Lesson, 1831)

Derivation
Cath-a-ract'-a - Gk, catarrhactes or catarractes, bird of prey: antarctica - of the Antarctic

Range (Guide)

Argentina, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Uruguay (NB).

Vagrant to Oman.

Unknown to Angola, Brazil, French Southern Territories (B), South Africa (B), St Helena (B).

Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.

Population
Estimated population is 26,000 - 28,000 (2010).

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Voice
Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (23)...)

Brown Skua (Stercorarius antarcticus) [XC863084]
by Kevin Guille from Mayes island, France (alarm call, call)

Brown Skua (Stercorarius antarcticus) [XC863959]
by Kevin Guille from Mayes island, France (alarm call, call, flight call)

Subspecies
Great Skua (Catharacta skua), Southern Skua (Catharacta lonnbergi), Brown Skua (Catharacta antarctica) and South Polar Skua (Catharacta maccormicki) (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993), cross-regional species, are retained as separate species contra Christidis and Boles (1994) and Turbott (1990) who include lonnbergi and antarctica as subspecies of Great Skua (Catharacta skua) and AERC TAC (2003) who include South Polar Skua (Catharacta maccormicki) as a subspecies of Great Skua (Catharacta skua).

Occasional hybridization reported with South Polar Skua (Catharacta maccormicki) and with Chilean Skua (Catharacta chilensis), but hybrids very rare. Subspecies hamiltoni differs only slightly from nominate antarctica. Subspecies lonnbergi has been considered a separate species. Proposed subspecies clarkei and intercedens invalid, and nowadays included in lonnbergi. Name lonnbergi sometimes erroneously spelt loennbergi, but removal of Scandinavian umlaut does not justify addition of "e".

The following 3 subspecies are recognised:

antarctica (Lesson, 1831) - Falkland Is. and south-eastern Argentina. Winters off south-eastern South America.
hamiltoni (Hagen, 1952) - Tristan da Cunha and Gough I. Winters near breeding areas.
lonnbergi (Mathews, 1912) - Antarctic Peninsula, subantarctic islands of Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Winters near or slightly dispersed from breeding areas. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Southern Skua (Catharacta lonnbergi).

Notes
Previously four subspecies of Catharacta skua, were nominate skua, lonnbergi, antarctica and hamiltoni. They have now been split into four distinct species, Great Skua Catharacta skua, breeds in northern hemisphere, Southern Skua Catharacta antarctica, breeds Falkland Islands and Patagonia, Brown Skua Catharacta lonnbergi, circumpolar, breeding on subantarctic islands and the Antarctic Peninsula, and Chatham Island, and Chilean Skua Catharacta chilensis.

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for Brown Skua (Catharacta antarctica) - 10 files

More Information

BirdLife International

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BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

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