Arctic Skua (Stercorarius parasiticus) | Species | ||||||||||||||||
 (1/8000th sec at f9. Click image for larger version. © David Hastings) DescriptionL: 41 - 46cm; WS: 110 - 125cm The Arctic Skua looks like a dark gull, but has a fast, flexible, falcon-like flight. It has long, fairly narrow wings, and a pointed tail projection. It is fairly common in northern Scotland and on Scandinavian coasts. It winters offshore, mainly south of the Equator. It breeds on tundra, coastal moors and barren islands. Like other skuas it is piratical, stealing fish from other seabirds. It has Red status on the UK list. There are around 2000 breeding pairs in Britain. Sightings
| |||||||||||||||||