Prakruti Parichay
StercorariidaeStercorarius

Brown Skua

5t8rcorarfus antarcticus

63–63 cmVery Large
Beak
—
Feet
—
Crest
No crest

Visitor. India, Sri Lanka and Maldives. Large, broad-winged skua showing broad white patches a tbase of upper- and underside of primaries. Larger and more powerful than South Polar Skua (see Appendix). with broader-based wings and larger bill. Adult from dark-morph South Polar by warmer brown coloration to upperparts and underparts, and pale streaking and rufous-brown mottling on mantle and scapulars, which often show fairly large white blotches (upperparts are uniformly dark on dark-morph South Polar). Some birds can be paler brown on upperparts and underparts, but lack contrast between head, underbody and mantle shown by intermediate-morph South Polar. Juvenile is warmer brown on upperparts and underparts. some with rufous-brown coloration to underparts. Normal flight is purposeful and direct, with steady shallow wing-beats, but is swift, dashing and hawk-like when in pursuit of gulls and terns. Fomnerly placed in Catharacta. Coastal waters.

Colour

BrownWhiteRufous / Red-brown
Average size
63 cm
Habitat
Coastal waters.
Behaviour
Visitor., Normal flight is purposeful and direct, with steady shallow wing-beats, but is swift, dashing and hawk-like when in pursuit of gulls and terns. Fomnerly placed in Catharacta.

About this bird

Visitor. India, Sri Lanka and Maldives. Large, broad-winged skua showing broad white patches a tbase of upper- and underside of primaries. Larger and more powerful than South Polar Skua (see Appendix). with broader-based wings and larger bill. Adult from dark-morph South Polar by warmer brown coloration to upperparts and underparts, and pale streaking and rufous-brown mottling on mantle and scapulars, which often show fairly large white blotches (upperparts are uniformly dark on dark-morph South Polar). Some birds can be paler brown on upperparts and underparts, but lack contrast between head, underbody and mantle shown by intermediate-morph South Polar. Juvenile is warmer brown on upperparts and underparts. some with rufous-brown coloration to underparts. Normal flight is purposeful and direct, with steady shallow wing-beats, but is swift, dashing and hawk-like when in pursuit of gulls and terns. Fomnerly placed in Catharacta. Coastal waters.

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Brown Skua is bigger than Common Shelduck but smaller than Northern Raven.

This bird

Brown Skua

5t8rcorarfus antarcticus

63–63 cm