Family:
The south polar skua is a large seabird, though not as large as other skuas, with a barrel-shaped chest, broad wings, and a short, wedge-shaped tail. It occurs in three colour morphs: dark, pale, and intermediate.
The dark morph has dark brown body, head, and neck, with slightly paler wings and a pale collar on the hindneck. The pale morph has dark brown upperparts and wings, with pale grey underparts and head. The intermediate morph has grey-brown upperparts with a pale hindneck collar, pale grey underparts, dark wings, and a straw-coloured head, sometimes marked by a dark eye mask.
All three morphs have a distinctive white wing flash, and the bill, eyes, legs, and feet are dark grey to blackish.
The south polar skua was formerly known as MacCormick’s skua, named after explorer and naval surgeon Robert McCormick, who collected the type specimen.
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The south polar skua feeds primarily on fish, often obtained by harassing and stealing from other seabirds such as gulls, terns, and gannets. During the winter, its diet also includes other birds, rabbits, and carrion.
South polar skuas breed on the Antarctic Continent and Peninsula, primarily in coastal areas that are free of snow, and often near colonies of penguins or petrels. During the non-breeding season, they migrate across the equator and spend the winter as far north as Alaska and Greenland.
