While the pomarine and parasitic jaegers are built for power and speed, the long-tailed jaeger is built for grace. Its most spectacular feature is its namesake: two incredibly long, flexible central tail feathers that can extend up to 20 cm (8 inches)beyond the rest of its tail. In flight, these streamers don’t just trail behind; they flutter and wave in the wind like silk ribbons, giving the bird an ethereal, weightless appearance that is unlike anything else in the Arctic sky.
What technically separates this bird from its cousins is its remarkably peaceful (for a jaeger) temperament. While it is certainly capable of the “pirate” lifestyle of stealing fish from other birds, it is much less dependent on it than the other two. Instead, the long-tailed jaeger is a master of aerial hovering. It can hang motionless in the air against a stiff Arctic breeze, its head perfectly still as it scans the tundra below for its favorite snack: lemmings. It is the most “tern-like” of the jaegers, with a buoyant, bouncy flight pattern that makes it seem as though it is dancing through the air rather than hunting.
The “humanized” side of the long-tailed jaeger is its extreme attachment to the wilderness. These birds are the true hermits of the ocean. Once they leave their breeding grounds in the high Arctic, they fly far out to sea, often spending their winters in the deep, remote waters of the South Atlantic or the Southern Ocean. They are rarely seen from land during the winter months, preferring the solitude of the open sea. They are also incredibly quiet birds; while the parasitic jaeger screams and dive-bombs, the long-tailed tends to be more reserved, only letting out a soft, yelping “krrepp” when it is near its nest.
Distribution
Angola
Antigua & Barbuda
Argentina
Aruba
Australia
Austria
Bahamas
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Bermuda
Bosnia And Herz.
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Canada
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cuba
Czechia
Denmark
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Greenland
Guadeloupe
Guatemala
Haiti
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Iran
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kenya
Kuwait
Latvia
Liberia
Malaysia
Malta
Martinique
Mauritania
Mexico
Montenegro
Montserrat
Morocco
Namibia
Netherlands
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nigeria
Nort. Mariana Is.
Norway
Oman
Palau
Panama
Peru
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russia
Saint Helena
Saint Lucia
Saint Pierre
Saint Vincent
Senegal
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
South Africa
South Georgia
Spain
St. Kitts & Nevis
Svalbard
Sweden
Switzerland
Thailand
Togo
Turkey
UAE
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
VanuatuAnything we've missed?
Help us improve this page by suggesting edits. Glory never dies!
Suggest an editGet to know me
Terrestrial / Aquatic
Altricial / Precocial
Polygamous / Monogamous
Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic
Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal
Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Flock
Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore
Migratory: Yes / No
Domesticated: Yes / No
Dangerous: Yes / No
