Chileskua
Chileskua | ||||||||||
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![]() Chileskua ( Stercorarius chilensis ) |
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Systematics | ||||||||||
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Scientific name | ||||||||||
Stercorarius chilensis | ||||||||||
( Bonaparte , 1857) |
The Chileskua ( Stercorarius chilensis , Syn .: Catharacta chilensis ) is a species of bird from the sku family (Stercorariidae). It inhabits the coasts of southern South America from southern central Chile ( Concepción ) and southern Argentina ( Departamento Deseado ) to southern Tierra del Fuego .
features
The Chileskua reaches a size of 53 to 58 centimeters, a weight of 1100 to 1700 grams and a wingspan of 130 to 138 centimeters. The back plumage is brown, the underside is bright cinnamon-colored. The small and medium-sized coverts are also bright cinnamon in color. Birds of all ages have a dark brown to black hood that extends just behind the eyes. In the adult birds the color contrasts strongly with a straw-colored dashed collar and the ear covers in the same color. In contrast to other Skua species, which have black beaks, the beak of this species is light blue with a dark tip. The cinnamon-colored underside is particularly emphasized in the juvenile birds. In immature birds it is already darker. In the juvenile birds, the straw-colored lines are barely visible. The gull-like, strongly edged or banded feathers on the back of the juvenile birds are unique for a species of sku.
habitat
The Chileskua inhabits marine habitats, mainly coastal waters, where it can be observed particularly in ocean straits and canals. It breeds on islands and uninhabited coastal areas in Chile and Argentina.
Way of life
The behavior in foraging for food is largely unexplored. The species besieges bird colonies and steals eggs and chicks, or it plunders rubbish tips in Patagonia . In the intertidal zone they attack Dominican gulls ( Larus dominicanus ). The Chileskua breeds in dense seagull-like colonies. The nest is scraped into the ground and is usually lined with dead grass. The clutch consists of two eggs, but occasionally only one egg. The chick has single-colored, light pink-gray-brown down. In contrast to other species of sku, the Chileskua is not aggressive towards humans.
hikes
Little is known about the migration routes. Apparently, the species overwinters in April northwards along the coasts of Argentina, the Falkland Islands and Chile to northern and southern Peru and returns to its breeding grounds in October.
status
The IUCN classifies the Chileskua in the category “not endangered” ( least concern ). The population size is unknown, but it is estimated to be several thousand pairs. The population development and the changes in the size of the breeding areas have hardly been researched. There are no known hazards, but it is possible that eggs and chicks are collected by humans.
literature
- Josep del Hoyo , Andrew Elliot, Jordi Sargatal : Handbook of the birds of the world. Volume 3: Hoatzin to Auks. - Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 1996, ISBN 84-87334-20-2 .
Web links
- Videos, photos and sound recordings on Catharacta chilenensis in the Internet Bird Collection
- Catharacta chilensis inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2014.