Occurs in two colour morphs or phases, and various intermediate ones. All plumages: Bill hooked, feet webbed. Adults in dark morph: Generally dark brown, slightly lighter below and on cheeks; black cap. Adults in light morph: Underparts, breast, neck and face white: cheeks, and throat in some cases, tinged with yellow; cap black; rest of upperparts dark brown; dark barring may occur on flanks, breast and underparts; bases of the primary feathers are white, providing a fairly conspicuous white "wing-flash"; tips of the central tail feathers are spatulate and twisted, and project several centimeters beyond the outer ones. Juveniles: grayish brown, heavily barred on upperparts and underparts with blackish brown; central tail feathers are little elongated.
Not Threatened.
Occurs in two colour morphs or phases, and various intermediate ones. All plumages: Bill hooked, feet webbed. Adults in dark morph: Generally dark brown, slightly lighter below and on cheeks; black cap. Adults in light morph: Underparts, breast, neck and face white: cheeks, and throat in some cases, tinged with yellow; cap black; rest of upperparts dark brown; dark barring may occur on flanks, breast and underparts; bases of the primary feathers are white, providing a fairly conspicuous white "wing-flash"; tips of the central tail feathers are spatulate and twisted, and project several centimeters beyond the outer ones. Juveniles: grayish brown, heavily barred on upperparts and underparts with blackish brown; central tail feathers are little elongated.
Taxonomy:
- Lestris pomarinus Temminck, 1815, Arctic regions of Europe. May actually be more closely related to Catharacta skua, than to either of congeners (see page 556). Monotypic. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Distribution:
- Tundra of N Russia, N Alaska and N Canada. Winters at sea close to coasts, mainly between Tropic of Cancer and equator, and around Australia.
Circumpolar. Breeds on the Arctic islands and mainland across North America. Winters mainly at sea from the Virginia coast south to the West Indies, from California to Peru, and off the western coast of Africa.
All species of Jaegers (pronounced Yay'-gurs) pursue gulls and terns, forcing them to disgorge their food. With a graceful swoop, they snap up the jettisoned fish or other food item before it hits the water. They are capable of capturing their own food, mainly fish, small mammals and large insects. When other food is scarce, they will hunt adult birds, mainly shorebirds. Because they lack the feet of raptors, a pair have to work together to pull the victim apart. They also eat eggs and young birds, and will take carrion.
They nesting solitarily on the ground, in swampy areas of level tundra. The nest is a shallow hollow in moss, rarely lined. Two, sometimes three, eggs are laid, incubated by both sexes for 24-28days. The young fly at 27-33 days and are independent at seven to eight weeks of age.