The South polar skua is like the bruiser of the Southern Ocean: stocky, powerful, and absolutely fearless. Adults are generally dark brown to smoky grey with bold white flashes at the base of the wings that really stand out when they fly. Some birds are paler, with a buff or straw-coloured head and neck, while others are almost uniformly dark. A heavy, hooked black bill, stout body, and direct, muscular flight make it look more like a flying predator than a dainty “seagull.”
This species breeds almost exclusively around the coasts of Antarctica, using ice-free ground close to the shore or near penguin and petrel colonies. Pairs form loose colonies or nest singly, scraping a shallow bowl in bare soil, moss, or gravel. They usually lay two olive-brown, blotched eggs in November–December, and both parents share incubation and chick-rearing. Skuas are famously aggressive around their nests: if you walk too close, adults will fly straight at your head in low, fast passes, screaming, until you back off.
Their diet and hunting style are a big part of their personality. South polar skuas are both hunters and pirates. They eat fish—often Antarctic silverfish and other small species—plus krill, penguin eggs and chicks, small seabirds, and carrion from seals and whales. Around penguin colonies, they can specialise as chick predators, memorising nest locations and patrolling like aerial wolves. They’re also classic kleptoparasites: they chase other seabirds such as petrels, terns, and even gannets until the victim drops or regurgitates its catch, which the skua then snatches in mid-air. Compared with the more agile, smaller skuas (jaegers), South polar skuas rely on brute force—barrel-chested, fast, and relentless.
Distribution
Antarctica
Antigua & Barbuda
Argentina
Australia
Barbados
Bermuda
Bouvet Island
Brazil
British Virgin Is.
Canada
Chile
Comoros
Costa Rica
Dominica
Ecuador
Egypt
Falkland Islands
Fiji
French Guiana
Greenland
Guadeloupe
Guatemala
India
Indonesia
Israel
Japan
Jordan
Kenya
Maldives
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Micronesia
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
New Zealand
Oman
Palau
Panama
Peru
Portugal
Saint Lucia
Saint Pierre
Saint Vincent
Senegal
Seychelles
Somalia
South Africa
South Georgia
Sri Lanka
St. Kitts & Nevis
Suriname
Trinidad & Tobago
US Virgin Islands
United States
YemenAnything we've missed?
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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
