Data Zone
Taxonomic note
Catharacta skua (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) was previously placed in the genus Stercorarius.
Catharacta skua, C. antarctica and C. maccormicki (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993), cross-regional species, are retained as separate species contra Christidis and Boles (1994) and Turbott (1990) who include lonnbergi and antarctica as subspecies of C. skua and AERC TAC (2003) who include C. maccormicki as a subspecies of C. skua.
Taxonomic source(s)
Cramp, S. and Simmons, K.E.L. (eds). 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
SACC. 2005 and updates. A classification of the bird species of South America. Available at: #http://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm#.
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Least Concern | |
| 2016 | Least Concern | |
| 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 |
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | does not normally occur in forest |
| Land-mass type | Average mass | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 4,300,000 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) | 35,800,000 | medium |
| Severely fragmented? | no | - |
| Value | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of mature individuals | 30000-34999 | poor | estimated | 2012 |
| Population trend | stable | suspected | - | |
| Generation length (years) | 17.5 | - | - | - |
Population justification: The breeding population, which is confined to Europe, is estimated at 16,300-17,200 pairs, which roughly equates to 30,000-34,999 mature individuals (BirdLife International 2015).
Trend justification: The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats. The European population trend is unknown (BirdLife International 2015).
| Country/Territory | Presence | Origin | Resident | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | extant | native | ||||
| Anguilla (to UK) | extant | uncertain | ||||
| Antigua and Barbuda | extant | native | ||||
| Austria | extant | native | yes | |||
| Barbados | extant | native | ||||
| Belgium | extant | native | ||||
| Belize | extant | native | ||||
| Bermuda (to UK) | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Brazil | extant | native | ||||
| Bulgaria | extant | native | yes | |||
| Canada | extant | native | ||||
| Cape Verde | extant | native | ||||
| Colombia | extant | native | ||||
| Côte d'Ivoire | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Croatia | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Cuba | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Cyprus | extant | uncertain | ||||
| Czechia | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Denmark | extant | native | yes | |||
| Dominica | extant | native | ||||
| Egypt | extant | native | ||||
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Finland | extant | vagrant | ||||
| France | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| French Guiana | extant | native | ||||
| Gambia | extant | uncertain | ||||
| Germany | extant | native | ||||
| Ghana | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Gibraltar (to UK) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Greece | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Greenland (to Denmark) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Guadeloupe (to France) | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Guinea | extant | uncertain | ||||
| Guinea-Bissau | extant | uncertain | ||||
| Guyana | extant | native | ||||
| Hungary | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Iceland | extant | native | yes | |||
| Ireland | extant | native | yes | |||
| Israel | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Italy | extant | native | yes | |||
| Latvia | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Lebanon | extant | uncertain | ||||
| Liberia | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Libya | extant | native | ||||
| Lithuania | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Luxembourg | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Malta | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Martinique (to France) | extant | native | ||||
| Mauritania | extant | native | ||||
| Montenegro | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Montserrat (to UK) | extant | native | ||||
| Morocco | extant | native | ||||
| Netherlands | extant | native | yes | |||
| Nigeria | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Norway | extant | native | yes | |||
| Panama | extant | native | ||||
| Poland | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Portugal | extant | native | yes | |||
| Puerto Rico (to USA) | extant | native | ||||
| Romania | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Russia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Russia (Central Asian) | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Russia (European) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Senegal | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Serbia | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Sierra Leone | extant | uncertain | ||||
| Slovakia | extant | native | ||||
| Slovenia | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Spain | extant | native | yes | |||
| St Kitts and Nevis | extant | native | ||||
| St Lucia | extant | native | ||||
| St Pierre and Miquelon (to France) | extant | native | yes | |||
| St Vincent and the Grenadines | extant | native | ||||
| Suriname | extant | native | ||||
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Sweden | extant | native | ||||
| Switzerland | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Syria | extant | uncertain | ||||
| Trinidad and Tobago | extant | uncertain | ||||
| Tunisia | extant | native | ||||
| Türkiye | extant | vagrant | ||||
| United Kingdom | extant | native | yes | |||
| USA | extant | native | yes | |||
| Venezuela | extant | uncertain | ||||
| Virgin Islands (to UK) | extant | uncertain | ||||
| Virgin Islands (to USA) | extant | uncertain | ||||
| Western Sahara | extant | uncertain |
| Country/Territory | IBA Name |
|---|---|
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Skúvoy |
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Sandoy |
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Streymoy |
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Vágar |
| Iceland | Oxarfjordur |
| Iceland | Skeidararsandur |
| Iceland | Breidamerkursandur - Fagurholsmyri |
| Russia (European) | Seven islands |
| Denmark | Skagerrak-Southwest Norwegian trench |
| United Kingdom | Foula |
| Spain | Costa da Morte |
| United Kingdom | Fair Isle |
| United Kingdom | Handa |
| United Kingdom | Hermaness, Saxa Vord and Valla Field |
| United Kingdom | Hoy |
| United Kingdom | Noss |
| United Kingdom | St Kilda |
| United Kingdom | Ronas Hill - North Roe and Tingon |
| United Kingdom | Sandwick and Clift Hills |
| United Kingdom | South Bressay |
| Spain | Cape Candelaria-Ortigueira estuary-Cape Estaca de Bares |
| Spain | Cape Busto-Luanco |
| Spain | Estrecho de Gibraltar |
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway) | Bjørnøya (Bear Island) |
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway) | Forlandet National Park |
| Mauritania | Canary current shelf-break (south) |
| Morocco | Canary current shelf-break (north) |
| 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 | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy-Mud | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy-Mud | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Oceanic | Epipelagic (0-200m) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Oceanic | Mesopelagic (200-1000m) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Altitude | Occasional altitudinal limits |
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources - Unintentional effects: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest] | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Biological resource use | Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Persecution/control | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Future | Majority (50-90%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pets/display animals, horticulture | - | - | international | non-trivial | recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Species factsheet: Catharacta skua. Downloaded from
http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/great-skua-catharacta-skua on 04/10/2023.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2023) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://datazone.birdlife.org on 04/10/2023.
