The skua is a master pirate of the skies that steals meals from others.

Nature · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Known as jaegers, meaning hunters, these aggressive seabirds are notorious for kleptoparasitism. They chase down gulls and terns to snatch their catches, sometimes attacking birds three times their own weight. From the Arctic to the South Pole, these formidable predators have even been observed stealing milk from elephant seals.

The skua, belonging to the genus Stercorarius, is a group of seven species known for their predatory and kleptoparasitic nature. The name itself originates from the Faroese term for the great skua, skúgvur, while the genus name, Stercorarius, is Latin for 'of dung'—a misnomer based on the historical belief that the food they forced other birds to disgorge was excrement. These birds are highly adaptable, nesting on the ground across temperate, Arctic, and Antarctic regions, and are capable of long-distance migration, with sightings recorded even at the South Pole.

Their feeding habits are remarkably diverse. Outside of breeding seasons, skuas rely heavily on kleptoparasitism, which accounts for up to 95% of their food intake. They are not picky about their targets, regularly harassing birds significantly larger than themselves. Larger species, like the great skua, are particularly lethal, hunting adult seabirds such as puffins and gulls, and occasionally even grey herons. In southern regions, they scavenge carcasses and have been documented pilfering milk directly from the teats of elephant seals.

The taxonomy of the skua has long been a subject of debate. While they are often split into two genera—the smaller, northern-breeding jaegers and the larger, southern-native species—genetic evidence suggests they are best classified as a single genus. Mitochondrial DNA analysis reveals that the pomarine and great skuas are more closely related to each other than to other species, indicating that hybridization likely played a significant role in their evolutionary history. Regardless of their classification, these birds remain defined by their aggressive, acrobatic flight and their tendency to 'divebomb' any intruder that approaches their nesting grounds.

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