adult

adult in flight European distribution Pair courtship display at nest

Identification

It is the sheer bulk of this bird which makes it quite different from the other skuas. Its broader wings, short tail big body and thick neck are more reminiscent of the bigger gulls but this bird has bold white wing panels even more conspicuous than in the other skuas.

Habitat

Breeds on moorland near the sea. Winters at sea.

Behaviour

Great Skuas are very aggressive in defence of their nest and will fly at any humans who encroach on their breeding site. They usually fly within inches of your head and sometimes they may actually strike a person on the top of the head

Migration

These birds are summer visitors to Scotland and many winter along the Atlantic coast of Europe.

This information is taken from the BirdFile on the appropriate BirdGuides DVD-ROM. As well as video and sounds, our CD- and DVD-ROMs contain additional text on Voice, Sexing, Ageing, Food, Nests and Eggs and more.

For the purposes of our bird news services, Great Skua is classed as Local: generally fairly regular or common species that a 'county lister' or a birding beginner might be interested in going to see. (Note that rarity levels are currently applied nationally and may not reflect local variations in abundance.)

at sea, Pembrokes 22/07/2010	At Sea, Norway 13/07/2010	Levenwick, Shetland 23/06/2010	Hermaness, Shetland 28/06/2010	Hermaness, Shetland 28/06/2010
Hermaness, Shetland 26/06/2010	Sumburgh, Shetland 22/06/2010	Hermaness, Shetland 07/07/2010	Hermaness, Shetland 07/07/2010	undisc. site, Outer Hebrides 19/06/2010

 View all pictures of Great Skua

Great Skua breeds in the following countries (Bird News Extra subscribers will see population statistics and information on trends for each country):

Britain
Faroe Islands
Iceland
Ireland
Norway
Russia
Svalbard

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