Arctic Jaeger

Stercorarius parasiticus

The Arctic Skua, or Parasitic Jaeger as it is also known, is an agile seabird with a dishonourable means of finding food.

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Visual Identification

Appearance

The Arctic Jaeger is a medium-sized seabird with a streamlined body and pointed wings. It exhibits two colour morphs: light and dark. Light morphs have white underparts and dark grey-brown upperparts, while dark morphs are uniformly dark brown.

Both morphs feature distinctive white patches on the wings and elongated central tail feathers.

Both sexes have the same plumage, although females are typically 15 to 20 percent larger than males. Juveniles lack the long tail streamers and have more mottled plumage.

Size

Length

41cm to 46cm

Wingspan

110cm to 125cm

Weight

300g to 600g

Colours

Males and females have similar plumage

Primary Colour

Brown Grey White

Secondary Colour

Black

Beak Colour

Black

Leg Colour

Black

Habitat and Distribution

Habitats

Woodland

The Arctic Jaeger is not typically found in Woodland habitats.

Garden

The Arctic Jaeger is not typically found in Garden habitats.

Wetland

The Arctic Jaeger is not typically found in Wetland habitats.

Coastal

The Arctic Jaeger can be found in Coastal habitats.

Urban

The Arctic Jaeger is not typically found in Urban habitats.

Farmland

The Arctic Jaeger is not typically found in Farmland habitats.

Grassland

The Arctic Jaeger is not typically found in Grassland habitats.

Desert

The Arctic Jaeger is not typically found in Desert habitats.

Tundra

The Arctic Jaeger can be found in Tundra habitats.

Rainforest

The Arctic Jaeger is not typically found in Rainforest habitats.

Mountain

The Arctic Jaeger is not typically found in Mountain habitats.

Savanna

The Arctic Jaeger is not typically found in Savanna habitats.

Distribution

Arctic Jaegers breed in the Arctic tundra across northern Eurasia and North America. They prefer coastal areas and islands with low vegetation for nesting. During winter, they migrate to southern oceans, ranging widely across temperate and tropical seas.

In the UK, they can be observed breeding in northern Scotland and the Northern Isles. Outside the breeding season, they may be spotted along coastlines during migration.

Elevation Range

Sea level to 700 meters

Climate zones

Arctic, Subarctic, Temperate

Distribution Map

This map gives you a rough idea of where you might spot a Arctic Jaeger. The coloured areas show countries where these birds have been seen.

A few things to keep in mind:

Birds might not be everywhere in the coloured areas, for example, they may be present around the coast of that country
Where birds live can change with seasons and available food
This map is quite simple - it doesn't show exact locations

We're working on making our maps even better! Soon, we hope to show you:

More detailed maps for bigger countries, including state and region
How birds move around during different seasons