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Great Skua Stercorarius skua
IUCN Red List history
| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Least Concern |
| 2009 | Least Concern |
| 2008 | Least Concern |
| 2004 | Least Concern |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
Species attributes
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | Does not normally occur in forest |
| Land mass type | Average mass | - |
Distribution
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 16,100 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) | 38,400,000 | medium |
| Number of locations | - | |
| Fragmentation | - |
Population & trend
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | poor | Estimated | 2009 | |
| Population trend | Stable | - | ||
| Number of subpopulations | - | - | - | |
| Largest subpopulation | - | - | - | |
| Generation length (yrs) | 17.5 | - | - | - |
| Population justification: The breeding population, which is confined to Europe, is estimated to number 16,000-16,000 breeding pairs, equating to 48,000-48,000 individuals (BirdLife International 2004). | ||||
| Trend justification: The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats. | ||||
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Extinct | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | Native | No | |||
| Anguilla (to UK) | Unknown | No | |||
| Antigua and Barbuda | Native | No | |||
| Austria | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Barbados | Native | No | |||
| Belgium | Native | No | |||
| Belize | Native | No | |||
| Bermuda (to UK) | Vagrant | No | |||
| Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (to Netherlands) | Native | No | |||
| Brazil | Native | No | |||
| Bulgaria | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Canada | Native | No | |||
| Cape Verde | Native | No | |||
| Côte d'Ivoire | Vagrant | No | |||
| Colombia | Native | No | |||
| Croatia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Cuba | Vagrant | No | |||
| Curaçao (to Netherlands) | Native | No | |||
| Cyprus | Unknown | No | |||
| Czech Republic | Vagrant | No | |||
| Denmark | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Dominica | Native | No | |||
| Egypt | Native | No | |||
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Finland | Vagrant | No | |||
| France | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| French Guiana | Native | No | |||
| Gambia | Unknown | No | |||
| Germany | Native | No | |||
| Ghana | Vagrant | No | |||
| Gibraltar (to UK) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Greece | Vagrant | No | |||
| Greenland (to Denmark) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Guadeloupe (to France) | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Guinea | Unknown | No | |||
| Guinea-Bissau | Unknown | No | |||
| Guyana | Native | No | |||
| Hungary | Vagrant | No | |||
| Iceland | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Ireland | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Israel | Vagrant | No | |||
| Italy | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Latvia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Lebanon | Unknown | No | |||
| Liberia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Libya | Native | No | |||
| Lithuania | Vagrant | No | |||
| Luxembourg | Vagrant | No | |||
| Malta | Vagrant | No | |||
| Martinique (to France) | Native | No | |||
| Mauritania | Native | No | |||
| Montenegro | Vagrant | No | |||
| Montserrat (to UK) | Native | No | |||
| Morocco | Native | No | |||
| Netherlands | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Nigeria | Vagrant | No | |||
| Norway | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Panama | Native | No | |||
| Poland | Vagrant | No | |||
| Portugal | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Puerto Rico (to USA) | Native | No | |||
| Romania | Vagrant | No | |||
| Russia (Central Asian) | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Russia (European) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Senegal | Vagrant | No | |||
| Serbia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Sierra Leone | Unknown | No | |||
| Sint Maarten (to Netherlands) | Native | No | |||
| Slovakia | Native | No | |||
| Slovenia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Spain | Native | No | Yes | ||
| St Kitts and Nevis | Native | No | |||
| St Lucia | Native | No | |||
| St Pierre and Miquelon (to France) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| St Vincent and the Grenadines | Native | No | |||
| Suriname | Native | No | |||
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Sweden | Native | No | |||
| Switzerland | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Syria | Unknown | No | |||
| Trinidad and Tobago | Unknown | No | |||
| Tunisia | Native | No | |||
| Turkey | Vagrant | No | |||
| United Kingdom | Native | No | Yes | ||
| USA | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Venezuela | Unknown | No | |||
| Virgin Islands (to UK) | Unknown | No | |||
| Virgin Islands (to USA) | Unknown | No | |||
| Western Sahara | Unknown | No |
Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria
| Country/Territory | IBA Name | IBA link |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark | Skagerrak-Southwest Norwegian trench |  |
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Sandoy | |
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Skúvoy | |
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Streymoy | |
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Vágar | |
| Iceland | Öxarfjördur | |
| Iceland | Breidamerkursandur | |
| Iceland | Skeidarársandur | |
| Russia (European) | Seven islands | |
| United Kingdom | Fair Isle | |
| United Kingdom | Foula | |
| United Kingdom | Handa | |
| United Kingdom | Hermaness, Saxa Vord and Valla Field | |
| United Kingdom | Hoy | |
| United Kingdom | Noss | |
| United Kingdom | Ronas Hill - North Roe and Tingon | |
| United Kingdom | Sandwick and Clift Hills | |
| United Kingdom | South Bressay | |
| United Kingdom | St Kilda | |
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grassland | Tundra | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Macroalgal/Kelp | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Macroalgal/Kelp | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Pelagic | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Pelagic | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Seagrass (Submerged) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Seagrass (Submerged) | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy-Mud | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy-Mud | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Oceanic | Epipelagic (0-200m) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Altitude | 0 - 0 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
Threats & impact
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Future | Whole (>90%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| |||||||||
Utilisation
| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | International | Non-trivial | Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Stercorarius skua. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 21/05/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 21/05/2013.
This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Current IUCN Red List category | Least Concern |
| Family | Stercorariidae (Skuas and jaegers) |
| Species name author | Br |
| Population size | mature individuals |
| Population trend | Stable |
| Distribution size (breeding/resident) | 16,100 km2 |
| Country endemic? | No |
| Links to further information | |
| - Summary information on this species | |
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