South Polar Skua
Stercorarius maccormicki (H. Saunders, 1893)
SOPSK 
5700
Family: Charadriiformes > Stercorariiidae
South Polar Skua breeds in the southern hemisphere although tracking studies show some individuals migrate to the North Atlantic.
South Polar Skua can be very difficult to distinguish from Great Skua, especially under typical seawatching conditions. The first British record concerns a bird that spent nine days on a Dorset beach, allowing close scrutiny and collection of DNA material.
Select a topic for more facts and statistics about the South Polar Skua
BTO RECORDS
BTO RECORDS
Identification
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Population size and trends and patterns of distribution based on BTO surveys and atlases with data collected by BTO volunteers.
CONSERVATION STATUS
This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.
| Species of European Conservation Concern | Least Concern |
| IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global) |
Least Concern 
|
| Schedule 1 license required (to disturb) | No |
| Birds Directive Annex 1 | No |
POPULATION SIZE
We have no population estimates for this scarce species.
| BOU Category | A |
|
First Record
|
Dorset, 1996 |
Movement
Information about movement and migration based on online bird portals (e.g. BirdTrack), Ringing schemes and tracking studies.
RINGING RECOVERIES
View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report.
Biology
Lifecycle and body size information about South Polar Skua, including statistics on nesting, eggs and lifespan based on BTO ringing and nest recording data.
PRODUCTIVITY & NESTING
Sample sizes are too small to report Productivity and Nesting statistics for this species.
CODES & CLASSIFICATION
|
Field Codes
|
5-letter code: SOPSK | Euring: 5700 |
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Links to more information from ConservationEvidence.com
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