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Dieren en planten

Skuas   Great skua   Arctic Skua   Swimming birds   

Arctic skua

size:

length: 46-67 centimeters
wingspan: 97-115 centimeters

weight:

450 grams

color:

dark brown with off-white

age:

maximum: 26 years

food:

fish, fish waste, birds, eggs, small mammals, insects, carrion

reproduction:

maturity: age 4
number of eggs: 2

  • Dut: Kleine jager
  • Lat: Stercorarius parasiticus
  • Eng: Arctic Skua
  • Fren: Labbe parasite
  • Ger: Schmarotzerraubmöwe
  • Dan: Almindelig kjove
  • Nor: Tyvjo
  • Frisian: Lytse skraits
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Arctic skua, Jeroen Reneerkens

Arctic skua

The Arctic skua is an elegant bird, but don't let looks fool you. Just like all other skuas, they chase other seabirds until they drop their food or disgorge it. Sometimes these agile birds even manage to catch the loot in the air. The bird picks on gulls, terns and auks in particular. Sometimes, several arctic skuas will work together to steal the food from a victim. Their diet does not only consist of stolen food. In the nesting colonies, they go after young birds, eggs, lemmings, mice, insects and carrion.

  • Distribution and habitat

    Arctic skuas nest in the high north and along the Baltic Sea coast. After breeding season, the bird migrates to the south, down to the Mediterranean Sea. The arctic skua can be seen along the Dutch coast during its migration from August till October. In late summer, 600 arctic skuas can be seen in the North Sea. Although this number seems low, this is still 1% of the whole population.