Long-tailed Jaeger
Stercorarius longicaudus
Slender gull-like seabird; the smallest of the three jaegers. Breeds on Arctic tundra; spends the rest of the year at sea. Difficult to separate from other jaegers, especially Parasitic. Breeding adults have an exceptionally long, pointed tail. Also note uniform brownish back contrasting with dark flight feathers, limited clean black cap, and pale yellow on the side of the neck. Immature birds have an attractive scaly pattern on wings and vary from dark brown to a pale grayish white. At all ages, note buoyant, tern-like flight. Typically shows white shafts only on two outermost wing feathers (fewer than other jaegers). Bill is shorter and proportionally thicker than other jaegers. Jaegers chase other birds and steal their food.
Identification
This species is unmistakable as an adult, with grey back, dark primary wing feathers without a white "flash", black cap and very long tail. Adults often hover over their breeding territories. Juveniles are much more problematic, and are difficult to separate from parasitic jaeger over the sea. They are slimmer, longer-winged and more tern-like than that species, but show the same wide range of plumage variation. However, they are usually colder toned than Arctic, with greyer shades, rather than brown.<p>This is the smallest of the skua family at 38–58 cm (15–23 in), depending on season and age. However up to 29 cm (11 in) of its length can be made up by the tail which may include the 15 cm (5.9 in) tail streamers of the summer adult. The wingspan of this species ranges from 102 to 117 cm (40 to 46 in) and the body mass is 230–444 g (8.1–15.7 oz).
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Stercorarius longicaudus
- Authority
- Vieillot, 1819
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Stercorariidae
- Genus
- Stercorarius
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- NA, PAL : Holarctic high and low Arctic tundra, locally subarctic: nw, se Greenland, Arctic n Scandinavia to ne Siberia and Kamchatka (e Russia); Arctic and w, s Alaska through Arctic Canada to Ellesmere and Baffin is.
- Non-breeding range
- highly pelagic and southerly: to offshore subantarctic and subtropical waters off w, sw, se Africa, s Madagascar, s Australia, Peru, Chile and ec Argentina
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Limnornis curvirostris
Odd-looking wren-like bird with a cinnamon back and white underparts. Note the white eyebrow and the obvious curved bill. Found in marshes with extensive reedbeds, where it usually forages singly. Sings a fast series of harsh ascending notes that descends towards the end.
Bare-crowned Antbird
Gymnocichla nudiceps
Scarce and rather shy antbird of evergreen forest, second growth thickets, and overgrown plantations in humid tropical lowlands. Usually in pairs, on or near the ground, where often accompanies army ant swarms to capture prey flushed by the ants. Male is black with white wingbars with bright blue naked skin on crown and around eyes. Female is rusty brown overall with bright blue naked eyering.
Banded Broadbill
Eurylaimus javanicus
Deep purplish-red broadbill with bold yellow patches on the wings and tail. Broad-based bill and irises are bright blue. Female is slightly duller than the male, and lacks a black line across the chest. Favors riparian and wet forests from the lowlands up into montane areas, and will visit edges, gardens, and parks. Forages in the canopy, often flying from a perch to do so. More vocal than Black-and-yellow Broadbill, giving long, drawn-out whistles and buzzing trills.
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