SKUAS AND JAEGERS 



SKUA 

 Megalestris skua { Bniiiiiicli ) 



A. n r. Xumlit-r ,55 See ( ol(.r I'l.ite 4 



Other Names. — Sea Hawk; Sea 1 kn ; I'.oiiNie: Skua 

 Gull. 



General Description. — Length, jj iiKlies. CoUir. 

 Ijlackish-lirnwM. 



Plumage. — AnuLTs: iTlacktsli-l'ni-n'ii, varied nl'm'i- 

 with clicsliiut and ■zchitish (each feather dark-colored 

 with a spot of chestnut toward end, shading into whitish 

 along shaft) ; on nape and across throat, reddish-yel- 

 low with narrow white streak on each feather ; crown 

 and sides of head, with little whitish; wings and tail, 

 dusky, white for some distance from base — concealed 

 on tail by long coverts, but showing on jirimaries as a 

 conspicuous spot; bill, black with gray cere; teet, black; 



iris, brown. Another pluma.ge, not known to be charac- 

 teristic of age or season, is iniiform sooty-blackish zcitli 

 the 'iK'liitc -tciiiii s/^ols ?v;'v i'('".s-/'iV»ii».\-. 



Nest and Eggs, — Nest : A depression in the grass : 

 lined with grass and moss. Eggs: j or j. olive or drab, 

 irre.gularly marked and blotched with dark olive-brown 

 and sepia. 



Distribution. — Coast and islands of the North Atlan- 

 tic; breeds on Lady I'Vanklin Island (Hudson Strait), 

 in Iceland, and on the Faroe and Shetland islands; 

 winters on fishing banks off Newfoundland and Nova 

 Scotia; rarely south to Long Island, N. V.; in Europe 

 south to Gibraltar. 



The Skua is one of the larLjeist and strongest 

 members of its rapacious genus, and is much 

 given to robbing the smaller sea birds, in the 

 manner of its relatives. It occasionally strays 

 along the North American coasts as far south as 

 the northern boundary of the United States. 

 There are records of its having been taken at 

 least three times ofi the coast of Massachusetts. 

 A single mdividual was shot on the Niagara 

 River in 1886. and another was killed in i8q6 by 

 colliding with the lighthouse at Montauk Point. 

 Long Island, N. Y. 



Little seems to have been set down concerning 

 the habits of the bird, which, however, jn-obably 

 do not differ essentially from those of the Jaeg- 

 ers. It does not assemble in flocks. .Seldom are 

 even two pairs seen together. It is famed for its 

 courage and daring in attacking and teasing 

 Gulls and forcing them to give up the fish 

 they have caught. Indeed, its scientific name 

 is an apt characterization — iiici/alcslris is from 

 two Greek words which, translated, are " large 

 |iirate craft." In flight it has a striking 

 appearance. 



POMARINE JAEGER 

 Stercorarius pomarinus ( Tciumhick) 



A. O. V. .\uiiil>c-r Ji. See Colo 



Sea 



Robber; 

 inches. 



Gull 

 Color 



Other Names. — Gull Hunter 

 Chaser; Jaeger Gull. 



General Description. — Length, 24 

 above, brownish-lilack ; below, white. 



Description. — .'\dui.ts in Breeding Plumage: Crown 

 brownish-black extending below eyes and on sides of 

 lower hill ; back, wings, tail, upper and under tail- 

 coverts, deep brownish-black; under parts from cliin 

 and neck all around, pure white — the sharp feathers 

 of back and neck, light yellow; bill, horn color shading 

 to black; feet, black; iris, brown. Nearly Adclt: .^ 

 row of brown .spots across breast; sides barred with 

 white and brown. Intermediate Stai^e : Entire breast, 

 brown mottled with white; upper tail-coverts and some 

 wing-coverts, barred with white; feet, blotched with 

 chrome yellow. In breeding and nearly adult plumage 



•late 4 



the /ii'o iciilnil lail-fcathcrs project about jour incites 

 and are tzeisled at riiiht aniiles to the slidjts: in the 

 intermediate i)hmiage the central tail-feathers project 

 only one inch and are not twisted ; these central feathers 

 are rounded at the til'. VofXG oi- the Year: Whole 

 liofly traversely barred with dull rufous; on head, neck, 

 and under parts this color prevails, the bands very 

 numerous, about same width as the dark color ; on 

 flanks and under tail-coverts the bars are wider, paler 

 and almost white; on back and win.g-coverts, brownish- 

 black, nearly uniform, predominates; primaries and 

 tail-feathers, dusky, darker at tii)s ; head and neck, 

 mostly pale rufous with a dusky spot in front of eye; 

 fejt, bright yellow. These plumages are evidently pro- 

 gressive with a.gc and are indei)endent of sex and sea- 

 son, and different from the following: Dark Phase: 



