Brown Skua
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Brown Skua | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Stercorariidae |
| Genus: | Stercorarius |
| Species: | S. antarctica |
| Binomial name | |
| Stercorarius antarctica Brooke, 1978 |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Catharacta antarctica |
|
The Brown Skua (Stercorarius antarctica), also known as the Antarctic Skua, Southern Great Skua, Southern Skua, or Hākoakoa (Māori), is a seabird that breeds in the sub-Antarctic and Antarctic zones and moves further north when not breeding. Its taxonomy is highly complex and a matter of dispute, with some splitting it into two or three species: Falkland Skua (S. antarctica), Tristan Skua (S. hamiltoni), and Subantarctic Skua (S. lonnbergi). To further confuse, it hybridizes with both the South Polar and Chilean Skuas, and the entire group have been considered subspecies of the Great Skua, a species otherwise restricted to the Northern Hemisphere. It feeds on fish (often via kleptoparasitism), small mammals, scraps, chicks, eggs and carrion.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Catharacta antarctica. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Harrison, Peter (1996). Seabirds - an identification guide. Christopher Helm: A & C Black, London. ISBN 0-7136-3510-X.
- Heather, Barrie D; Robertson, Hugh A & Onley, Derek (2000). The field guide to the birds of New Zealand. Viking: Printing Press. ISBN 0-670-89370-6.
 |
This Charadriiformes-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
