Bird Guide

Chilean Skua vs Long-tailed Jaeger

Chilean Skua (Stercorarius chilensis)

Chilean Skua

Stercorarius chilensis

1.4 kgMarine

Chilean skuas tend to be dark on their back, flanks, and cheeks, and uniformly light underneath. The dark colour usually extends from their back across the upper chest to form a pectoral collar. The underside of their wings is characteristically cinnamon-coloured, but this colour can be rather dull in some individuals. All adults have a distinctive dark cap and prominent pale gold streaking on the face and neck. They have black legs, brown irises, and a small, bluish bill with a dark tip. Their wingspan is 130 to 138 cm. Voice: Very little information is available on the vocalizations of the Chilean skua. At the breeding colony, it performs a long-call which consists of ten to twelve short nasal barks. This call is seemingly unrelated to chick-rearing and has been described as almost goose-like due to its distinctly deep and hoarse nature. Other calls may include short guttural grunts.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Arthur Chapman · CC BY 2.0
Long-tailed Jaeger (Stercorarius longicaudus)

Long-tailed Jaeger

Stercorarius longicaudus

Medium288 gMarine

This species is unmistakable as an adult, with grey back, dark primary wing feathers without a white "flash", black cap and very long tail. Adults often hover over their breeding territories. Juveniles are much more problematic, and are difficult to separate from parasitic jaeger over the sea. They are slimmer, longer-winged and more tern-like than that species, but show the same wide range of plumage variation. However, they are usually colder toned than Arctic, with greyer shades, rather than brown. This is the smallest of the skua family at 38–58 cm (15–23 in), depending on season and age.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Long-tailed Jaeger
Recorded by Davyd Betchkal · Call · Amiloyak Lake, Gates of the Arctic National Park, AK, United States · CC0
Photo: Per Willy Bøe · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Chilean Skua and Long-tailed Jaeger.