Parasitic Jaeger

The Parasitic Jaeger is a seabird that belongs to the genus Stercorarius of the Stercorariidae family. The binomial name of the Parasitic Jaeger is Stercorarius Parasiticus, and it is called by another name, such as the Parasitic Skua or Arctic Skua. The Parasitic Jaeger is a cunning sea predator, which has a behavior called Kleptoparasitism that refers to the habit of stealing the other birds’ food.

Features

The mature Parasitic Jaeger measures a body length that ranges from 16 inches to 19 inches (41 cm to 48 cm) , with a wingspan between 42 inches and 49 inches (107 cm and 125 cm). These Parasitic Jaegers are so frivolous such that their body weight ranges from 0.66 lbs to 1.43 lbs (300 grams to 650 grams). The tail streamer of the reproduction grown-up Parasitic Jaeger bird has a body length of 2.8 inches (7 cm).

The Parasitic Jaeger features an elongated, wedge-shaped tail, with two slim, sharp feathers that extend beyond its tail end. The slightly hooked bill of the Parasitic Jaeger bird is grayish black in color, as are its legs. The female and male Parasitic Jaeger birds are similar in look.

The Parasitic Jaeger comes in two different dark and light morphs. The dark morph has uniformly brown color all through its underparts, whereas the light morph features ashy-brown and white color underparts, and the sides of its neck and head are yellow in color. There are also intermediate birds that fall between these two morphs. Most birds of both morphs contain white or pale panels on the underside of their wings.

The juvenile Parasitic Jaeger birds are even more challenging, and are hard to divide from long-tailed Jaeger birds. They are generally more yellow-brown than the adult birds, and chicks encompass dark tan fluffy down. They are bulky in size, with short wings, and they are less tern-like than other species, but they demonstrate the same broad range of plumage disparity.

The Parasitic Jaeger bird makes a range of calls, including a lengthy, shrieking call while protecting its territory and a short, habitually repeated call, used particularly while attacking or just subsequent to the landing.

Diet

The Parasitic Jaeger bird mostly feeds on small birds, rodents, and insects, but it also steals terns and gulls of their catches. Similar to the bigger Skua species, the Parasitic Jaeger continues this piratical performance all through the year, showing vast agility as it annoys its victims.

Breeding

The Parasitic Jaeger breeds from May to September in the North America and north of Eurasia, with major populations as far south as the northern parts of Scotland. The female Parasitic Jaeger bird nests on arid tundra, higher floors, and islands, and it lays a maximum of four olive-tan eggs. Usually, it is a silent bird, except for wailing and mewing notes when on the propagation grounds. The Parasitic Jaeger will fly at the head of a fox or a human, approaching its nest. Even though the Parasitic Jaeger cannot cause serious harm, it is a scary and agonizing experience. The Parasitic Jaeger is a migrant bird variety, wintering at ocean in the southern oceans and tropics.

The Parasitic Jaeger breeds in the Outer Hebrides, Shetland, and Orkney, Caithness, Sutherland, and in a few islands in Argyll.

The average lifespan of the Parasitic Jaeger is 31 years.