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Catharacta maccormicki (South
polar skua)
Suidpoolroofmeeu [Afrikaans]; Zuidpooljager [Dutch];
Labbe de McCormick [French]; Antarktische raubmöwe [German];
Moleiro-antárctico [Portuguese]
Life
> Eukaryotes >
Opisthokonta
> Metazoa (animals) >
Bilateria >
Deuterostomia > Chordata >
Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates) > Gnathostomata (jawed
vertebrates) > Teleostomi (teleost fish) > Osteichthyes (bony fish) > Class:
Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned
fish) > Stegocephalia (terrestrial
vertebrates) > Tetrapoda
(four-legged vertebrates) > Reptiliomorpha > Amniota >
Reptilia (reptiles) >
Romeriida > Diapsida > Archosauromorpha > Archosauria >
Dinosauria
(dinosaurs) > Saurischia > Theropoda (bipedal predatory dinosaurs) >
Coelurosauria > Maniraptora > Aves
(birds) > Order: Charadriiformes
> Family: Laridae > Genus: Catharacta
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| South polar skua, offshore of
California, USA. [photo
Jeff Poklen
©] |
South polar skua, offshore of California, USA. [photo Jeff Poklen
©] |
Distribution and habitat
Breeds on ice-free areas of Antarctica and adjacent
islands, often in colonies along with other seabirds, in fact
it is the only vertebrate known to have reached the South Pole. After breeding
it disperses into the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is a rare vagrant
to southern Africa, recorded several times off the
south-western coast and also sighted once near the coast of KwaZulu-Natal.
Movements and migrations
Little known, although it is thought to leave
its breeding grounds in March, eventually returning in the period
from September-November. Most southern African sightings are in
Autumn, suggesting it sometimes passes through the region on the way
to somewhere further north. The dark morph is most regularly
recorded, which originates from Antarctic Peninsula.
Food
Its diet has not been well-studied at its non-breeding
grounds, but it does commonly scavenge discards and offal off fishing vessels,
as well as stealing the food of other birds (even if larger than itself, such as
the Wandering albatross).
Threats
Not threatened.
References
-
Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ and Ryan PG 2005. Roberts
- Birds of southern Africa, VIIth ed. The Trustees of the John Voelcker
Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.
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