Bird Album
Chilean Skua
Stercorarius chilensis Bonaparte, 1857
1.4 kgWeight
The Chilean skua, also known as the cinnamon skua (Stercorarius chilensis), is a large predatory seabird, which breeds in Argentina and Chile, but ranges as far north as Brazil and Peru when not breeding.
Busiest months: November · Most records: Argentina, Chile, Uruguay
Where and when it's recorded
Chilean Skua has been recorded at 58 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 7 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Canal BeagleArgentina731 records
- Valparaíso – PelágicoChile531 records
- Quintero – PelágicoChile482 records
More places
- Desembocadura Río PipoArgentina261 records
- Punta LoyolaArgentina255 records
- PN Tierra del Fuego ÁreaArgentina241 records
- Centro de Interpretacion Ambiental Estuario del Rio GallegosArgentina221 records
- Laguna Los PalosChile210 records
- Reserva Natural Urbana Bahía EncerradaArgentina200 records
- Faro Punta CarretasUruguay183 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The Chilean skua, also known as the cinnamon skua (Stercorarius chilensis), is a large predatory seabird, which breeds in Argentina and Chile, but ranges as far north as Brazil and Peru when not breeding. A relatively distinctive skua, it has a dark cap that contrasts with its cinnamon throat and lower face. Hybrids with the Falkland skua are known from southern Argentina.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Chilean Skua?
The Chilean Skua weighs around 1.4 kg.
Where does the Chilean Skua live?
Its breeding range: South America: coastal south-central Chile and southeastern Argentina to Cape Horn. It is most often recorded in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.
When is the best time to see the Chilean Skua?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Southern Hemisphere).
What does the Chilean Skua eat?
Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.
What family is the Chilean Skua in?
It belongs to the family Skuas (Stercorariidae), order Charadriiformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 1.4 kg
- Habitat
- Ocean
- Diet
- Fish, shrimp & shellfish
- Lifestyle
- Feeds in the air
- Migration
- Migratory
More measurements
- Wing
- 380 mm
- Tail
- 128 mm
- Bill
- 54 mm
- Tarsus
- 64 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
South America: coastal south-central Chile and southeastern Argentina to Cape Horn
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Skuas Stercorariidae
- Genus
- Stercorarius
Other birds in the genus Stercorarius
Long-tailed JaegerStercorarius longicaudus
Parasitic JaegerStercorarius parasiticus
Pomarine JaegerStercorarius pomarinus
Great SkuaStercorarius skua
Brown SkuaStercorarius antarcticus
South Polar SkuaStercorarius maccormicki
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Paulo Alves. ↗
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