Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Pomarine Jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus)
Pomarine Jaeger

Pomarine Jaeger

Stercorarius pomarinus

The Pomarine Jaeger, known scientifically as Stercorarius pomarinus, is a robust seabird of the skua family Stercorariidae. It is a migrant, spending winters at sea in the tropical oceans. This large skua measures approximately 45cm in length, not including the elongated central tail feathers of the summer adult, which can add an extra 10cm. With a wingspan ranging from 110 to 138cm and a weight between 540–920g, it is larger than common gulls and presents a bulkier and broader-winged silhouette.

Identification Tips

Identifying the Pomarine Jaeger can be challenging due to its resemblance to the Parasitic Jaeger and the existence of three morphs. Light-morph adults exhibit a brown back, predominantly white underparts, and dark primary wing feathers with a distinctive white "flash". Their heads and necks are yellowish-white with a black cap. Dark morph adults are uniformly dark brown, while intermediate morphs are dark with slightly paler underparts, head, and neck. All morphs possess the white wing flash, which is particularly noticeable as a double flash on the underwing. In breeding adults, the two central tail feathers are conspicuously elongated, spoon-shaped, and twisted, setting them apart from other species. Juveniles pose an identification challenge and are best distinguished from Parasitic Jaegers by their plumage and structure at closer range.

Habitat

The Pomarine Jaeger breeds in the remote northern reaches of Eurasia and North America, favoring the Arctic tundra and islands.

Behaviour

This species is known for its aggressive defense of its nesting territory, often flying at the heads of intruders, which can be a rather alarming experience. It is also known for its piratical behavior, as it often robs other seabirds of their catches with remarkable agility.

Feeding

The diet of the Pomarine Jaeger is varied, including fish, carrion, scraps, smaller birds up to the size of common gulls, and rodents, with a particular preference for lemmings. It is an adept kleptoparasite, targeting gulls, terns, and even gannets for their food. The Great Black Backed Gull, White-Tailed Eagle, and Golden Eagle are among the few predators of healthy adult Pomarine Jaegers.

Conservation status

The Pomarine Jaeger is currently listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Pomarine Jaeger Fun Facts

Did you know?
Pomarine Jaegers have been recorded killing intruding Snowy Owls during breeding.

Pomarine Jaegers on Birda

Sightings

More Skuas

A photo of a Brown Skua (Stercorarius antarcticus)

Brown Skua

Stercorarius antarcticus
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Nedz53
Really useful
Downloaded to give it a try, everything worked perfectly, recorded my first bird watching walk. Very impressed. Have already recommended to friends!
Emma L
App got me interested in birding!
Super friendly community <3 This app got me interested in birding! It teaches me cool stuff and its super friendly, and fun :) The species guide is really developing my knowledge, and i love seeing cool new birds from round the world!
Carl B
Helped me to identify more birds
Love this app and has helped me to identify more birds. The challenges and badges are great for keeping the motivation going to get out and keep birding.
Chudbond
Love Birda
I love this app. It really encourages you to log your sightings and the community is friendly and helpful.
Marlster24
Recommend for any bird watcher
Very wholesome app: I joined this app with a new interest in watching birds to help me find out what I was spotting. The community is very active in helping identify birds which is great and everyone is very kind so it’s just a nice wholesome community. I would definitely recommend this for any bird spotter 😃
Leonie
We've been waiting for an App like this
Excellent! We've been waiting for an app like this! Thank you! It would be nice if you could assign additional birds to sessions later!
Paul F
Very good database
Highly recommend. It great that this app shows you male Vs female variations when posting. Very good database I'm really impressed.
Ellesse_W
Learning Birding with Birda
I’m relatively new to birding as a hobby, and Birda is a great way to keep track off all the species I see. I’m still working on my ID skills, but the app is great for figuring out potential species, and the online community is so friendly and helpful. Definitely recommend Birda to both early and serious birders! 🐦
Sacha0508
Simply fantastic
I love this app, it puts so much fun into recording the birds I’ve seen and heard while I’m out and about. The interface is user-friendly and suitable for all ages. It’s great to collect badges and to review my “lists”.
Robred 2
Fun way to add to your birdwatching experience
I enjoy watching birds in my backyard, but this app helped me really pay attention while on vacation this summer. It was fun to add new birds to my bird watching app.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.