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South Polar Skua

South Polar Skua

Stercorarius maccormicki

Migration Flyway

Showing primary migration corridor(s) for this species

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View on eBirdWikipedia

About the South Polar Skua

The south polar skua (Stercorarius maccormicki) is a large seabird in the skua family, Stercorariidae. An older name for the bird is MacCormick's skua, after explorer and naval surgeon Robert McCormick, who first collected the type specimen. This species and the other large skuas, such as the great skua, are sometimes placed in a separate genus Catharacta.

Source: Wikipedia

Classification

Scientific name
Stercorarius maccormicki
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.

  • Great Skua Stercorarius skua
  • Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus
  • Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus
  • Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus

Know when the South Polar Skua turns up near you

Add it to your watchlist and draw an alert zone around the places you actually bird. Birdr checks eBird reports and tells you when one is seen inside it.

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Gear for spotting South Polar Skua

Optics

Best Binoculars for Beginners

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From phone adapters to dedicated rigs, here's what actually works for capturing birds in the field.

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Optics

Spotting Scopes for Distance Birding

Essential for shorebirds, raptors, and anything too far for binoculars. Our tested picks.

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