Long-tailed Jaeger

The Long-tailed Jaeger is a marine bird that belongs to the Stercorarius genus of the family Stercorariidae. The binomial name of this bird is Stercorarius Longicaudus and it is largely found in northern Canada and northern Alaska during the reproduction season. During migration, the Long-tailed Jaeger is found in estuaries and on the shores and winters on off coastal waters in the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.

Features

The Long-tailed Jaeger is the smallest bird of the Skua family, with the body length, ranging from 15 inches to 23 inches (38 cm to 58 cm), according to the age and the season. However, body length of the Long-tailed Jaeger can be extended more up to 11 inches (29 cm) because of the tail of length 5.9 inches (15 cm) of the summer adult. The Long-tailed Jaeger has a wingspan between 40 inches and 46 inches (102 cm and 117 cm), with the body mass that ranges from 8.1 Oz to 15.7 Oz (230 grams to 444 grams).

The Long-tailed Jaeger has a slightly curved bill, webbed feet, with the tail length that ranges in length from 6 inches to 10 inches (15 cm to 25 cm). The Long-tailed Jaeger has elongated piercing center tail feathers that protrude ahead of its other tail feathers. The Long-tailed Jaeger usually breeds on the tundra and coastal swamps in the Arctic Ocean. During the winter season, the Long-tailed Jaeger is generally found on the open sea, far from the seashore. At the time of the non-breeding season, the Long-tailed Jaeger frees its center tail feathers. During the breeding season, the Long-tailed Jaeger has a white head and abdomen, a gray back, and wings and a dark brown color cap on its head. During the non-breeding period, the cap of the Long-tailed Jaeger has gray and white spots on it, and its undersides boast white and light brown bars. Both female and male birds look alike.

The adult Long-tailed Jaeger birds habitually hover above their breeding territories. Juvenile birds are much trickier, and they are hard to separate from the Long-tailed Jaeger over the ocean.

Diet

The Long-tailed Jaeger mostly feeds on crustaceans, fish, small birds, and insects. The Long-tailed Jaeger also feeds on small creatures, such as voles and lemmings. The Long-tailed Jaeger hovers above its ground prey, circling similar to a hawk. The Long-tailed Jaeger then plunges down and catches the prey. The Long-tailed Jaeger also captures insects in the air and it robs food from other marine birds, but not as frequently as the Parasitic Jaeger.

Breeding

Both female and male Long-tailed Jaegers construct a nest in a low depression on the land. The female Long-tailed Jaeger is capable of laying 1 to 2 eggs in a single clutch. Both the female and the male Long-tailed Jaeger birds protect the eggs. Usually, the female bird spends additional time on the nest. The chicks depart their nest some days subsequent to hatching. One parent resides with the chicks whereas the other parent fetches food back to their nest. The adult Long-tailed Jaeger bird regurgitates food for the baby birds to consume. The baby birds fledge when they attain the age of 21 to 27 days, but the father and mother birds stay with them for some more weeks.

The maximum lifespan of the Long-tailed Jaeger is 30 years.