Pomarine Jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus) | Photos and ID

LCLeast ConcernVertebrates

MarineScrapeLarge · 692 g

Pomarine Jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus), photo 4 — Photo: Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová · CC BY 4.0

Pomarine Jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus), photo 5 — Photo: Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová · CC BY 4.0

ID tip

This 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. The upper limit of the length includes the elongated tail streamer of breeding adults, which is about 10 cm (3.9 in) in length. Identification of this jaeger is complicated by its similarities to parasitic jaeger and the existence of three morphs. Pomarine jaegers are larger than common gulls. They are much bulkier, broader-winged and less falcon-like than the parasitic jaeger, but show the same wide range of plumage variation.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Pomarine Jaeger

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 6 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is September, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Pomarine Jaeger

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 104 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.

United States Sweden Canada United Kingdom Spain Norway Australia Belgium Portugal Mexico France India Ireland Russia Costa Rica Taiwan Israel Japan Senegal Peru Panama Germany New Zealand Netherlands Guatemala United Arab Emirates South Africa Thailand Sri Lanka Indonesia Greenland Chile El Salvador Gambia Venezuela Morocco Finland Colombia Oman Poland Italy Guadeloupe Bermuda Iceland Türkiye Faroe Islands Ecuador Denmark Namibia Brazil Argentina Hong Kong SAR China Czechia Papua New Guinea St. Pierre & Miquelon Dominica Switzerland China French Guiana Vanuatu Ukraine Austria Bahamas South Korea Malaysia Honduras Kuwait Hungary Belize Northern Mariana Islands St. Lucia Cuba Puerto Rico Nicaragua Martinique Suriname Uruguay Fiji Philippines Solomon Islands Cape Verde Trinidad & Tobago Singapore Timor-Leste Micronesia Isle of Man Guyana Georgia Bulgaria Estonia Latvia Guernsey Greece Réunion Tunisia Malta Saudi Arabia Côte d’Ivoire Egypt Barbados U.S. Virgin Islands Cambodia Qatar Lithuania

Recorded as a rare visitor in Mauritania, Algeria, Kenya, Jamaica, Turks & Caicos Islands, Bangladesh, Iran, Yemen, Jersey, Mauritius, Mayotte, São Tomé & Príncipe, Antigua & Barbuda, Curaçao, St. Barthélemy, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Tonga.

About the Pomarine Jaeger

The pomarine jaeger, pomarine skua, or pomatorhine skua, is a seabird in the skua family Stercorariidae. It is a migrant, wintering at sea in the tropical oceans.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

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.

Chilean SkuaStercorarius chilensisChilean skuas tend to be dark on their back, flanks, and cheeks, and uniformly light underneath.

Side by side: Parasitic Jaeger vs Pomarine Jaeger · Long-tailed Jaeger vs Pomarine Jaeger · Great Skua vs Pomarine Jaeger · Chilean Skua vs Pomarine Jaeger

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