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MarineScrapeLarge · 444 g
What the Parasitic Jaeger sounds like
ID tip
Identification is complicated by similarities to long-tailed jaeger and pomarine jaeger, and the existence of three colour morphs. Small for a skua, the parasitic jaeger measures 41–48 cm (16–19 in) in length, 107–125 cm (42–49 in) in wingspan and weighs 300–650 g (11 oz – 1 lb 7 oz). The tail streamer of the breeding adult accounts for about 7 cm (3 in) of their length. Light-morph adults have a brown back, mainly white underparts and dark primary wing feathers with a white "flash". The head and neck are yellowish-white with a black cap and there is a pointed central tail projection.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
When to see the Parasitic Jaeger
One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 7 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is September, the month with the most records.
Where to see the Parasitic Jaeger
The map shades 113 countries with regular records, and 20 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.
Recorded as a rare visitor in Algeria, Kenya, Serbia, Gabon, Barbados, Guyana, Suriname, Cambodia, Maldives, Croatia, Moldova, Malta, Fiji, Northern Mariana Islands, Vanuatu, Nigeria, Tanzania, Martinique, Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands.
About the Parasitic Jaeger
The parasitic jaeger or arctic skua, also known as the parasitic skua or arctic jaeger, is a seabird in the skua family Stercorariidae. It is a migratory species breeding in Northern Fennoscandia, Scotland, Iceland, Greenland, Northern Canada, Alaska, and Siberia and wintering across the southern hemisphere. Kleptoparasitism is a major source of food for this species during migration and winter, and is where the name is derived from.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Easily confused with
Pomarine JaegerStercorarius pomarinusThis species ranges from 46 to 67 cm (18 to 26 in) in length, 110 to 138 cm (43 to 54 in) in wingspan and 540–920 g (1.19–2.03 lb) in weight.
Long-tailed JaegerStercorarius longicaudusThis species is unmistakable as an adult, with grey back, dark primary wing feathers without a white "flash", black cap and very long tail.
Great SkuaStercorarius skuaGreat skuas measure 50–58 cm (20–23 in) long and have a 125–140 cm (49–55 in) wingspan.
Side by side: Parasitic Jaeger vs Pomarine Jaeger · Long-tailed Jaeger vs Parasitic Jaeger · Great Skua vs Parasitic Jaeger
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