Back to Field Guide
Great Skua
Stercorarius skua
Migration Flyway
Showing primary migration corridor(s) for this species
Last Spotted Near You
About the Great Skua
The great skua (Stercorarius skua), sometimes known by the name bonxie in Britain, is a large seabird in the skua family Stercorariidae. It is roughly the size of a herring gull. It mainly eats fish caught at the sea surface or taken from other birds.
Source: Wikipedia
Classification
- Scientific name
- Stercorarius skua
- Family
- Skuas and Jaegers
- Order
- Charadriiformes
Similar species
Other members of the skuas and jaegers family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.
Know when the Great Skua turns up near you
How rare bird alerts work →Gear for spotting Great Skua
Optics
Best Binoculars for Beginners
You don't need to spend a fortune. These four pairs will get you birding confidently on day one.
8 min readRead guide
Cameras
Cameras for Bird Photography
From phone adapters to dedicated rigs, here's what actually works for capturing birds in the field.
12 min readRead guide