Stercorarius maccormicki

Stercorarius maccormicki (Photo © Samuel Blanc)

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Euavialae
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Ordo: Charadriiformes
Subordo: Lari

Familia: Stercorariidae
Genus: Stercorarius
Species: Stercorarius maccormicki
Name

Stercorarius maccormicki H. Saunders, 1893
References

Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club III (pt.XIII): xii.

Vernacular names
Afrikaans: Suidpoolroofmeeu
العربية: كركر القطب الجنوبي
brezhoneg: Sparfell-vor MacCormick
català: Paràsit austral
čeština: Chaluha antarktická
Cymraeg: Sgiwen Pegwn y De
dansk: Sydpolarkjove
Deutsch: Antarktikskua
English: South Polar Skua
Esperanto: Sudpolusa rabmevo
español: Págalo antártico
euskara: Marikoi antartiko
فارسی: قاپوی قطب جنوب
suomi: Etelämantereenkihu
français: Labbe de McCormick
עברית: חמסן דרומי
italiano: Stercorario di McCormick
日本語: オオトウゾクカモメ
latviešu: Dienvidu polārā klijkaija
മലയാളം: ദക്ഷിണ ധ്രുവ സ്കുവ
Nederlands: Zuidpooljager
norsk nynorsk: Sørjo
norsk: Sørjo
Diné bizaad: Kéyah Yistinídę́ę́ʼ łóóʼyiniʼįįhí
polski: Wydrzyk antarktyczny
پنجابی: تھلواں پولر سکوا
português: Moleiro-do-sul
русский: Южнополярный поморник
svenska: Sydpolslabb
ไทย: สคัวขั้วโลกใต้
українська: Поморник антарктичний
中文: 灰賊鷗

The south polar skua (Stercorarius maccormicki) is a large seabird in the skua family, Stercorariidae. An older name for the bird is MacCormick's skua, after explorer and naval surgeon Robert McCormick, who first collected the type specimen. This species and the other large skuas, such as the great skua, are sometimes placed in a separate genus Catharacta.

Description

The south polar skua is a large bird (though small compared to other skuas sometimes placed in Catharacta) that measures around 53 cm (21 in) in length. Adults are greyish brown above, and have a whitish (pale morph) or straw-brown (intermediate morph) head and underparts, and the contrast between head and body makes it easy to separate from similar species with good views. Juveniles and adult dark morphs are harder to distinguish from their relatives, and more subjective or difficult-to-observe criteria, such as the colder brown plumage and blue bill base, must be used.
Identification

Distinguishing this skua from the Northern Hemisphere Arctic, pomarine, and long-tailed skuas is relatively straightforward. The large size, massive barrel chest, and white wing flashes of this bird are distinctive even at a distance. The flight is direct and powerful. Identification of this skua is more complicated when it is necessary to distinguish it from the closely related great skua of the North Atlantic, and the other large Southern Hemisphere skuas. Identification problems make claims of any Southern Hemisphere skua in the eastern North Atlantic problematic, and few records of south polar skua have been accepted in Western Europe. Similar problems occur, of course, with extralimital claims of great skua.
Distribution and habitat
Skua eggs
Skua chick

It breeds on Antarctic coasts, usually laying two eggs in November and December. It is a migrant, wintering at sea in the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans. In the eastern North Atlantic, it is replaced by the great skua. South polar skuas have been seen at the actual Geographic South Pole. Megalestris Hill, on Petermann Island in the Wilhelm Archipelago of Antarctica, is named after an obsolete generic name for the south polar skua.[2]
Behavior

Like other skuas, it flies at the head of a human or other intruder approaching its nest.[citation needed]
Feeding

The south polar skua eats mainly fish, often obtained by robbing gulls, terns and even gannets of their catches. It also eats other birds, rabbits, and carrion. Like most other skua species, it continues this piratical behavior throughout the year, showing less agility and more brute force than the smaller skuas (jaegers) when it harasses its victims.
References

BirdLife International (2018). "Stercorarius maccormicki". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22694218A132533643. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22694218A132533643.en. Retrieved 16 February 2022.

"Megalestris Hill". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2013-09-12.