skua

American  

[skyoo-uh] / ˈskju ə /

noun

1. Also called bonxie.  any of several large brown gull-like predatory birds of the genus Catharacta, related to jaegers, especially C. skua great skua, of colder waters of both northern and southern seas.

2. British. jaeger.

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skua British  

/ ˈskjuːə /

noun

1. any predatory gull-like bird of the family Stercorariidae, such as the great skua or bonxie ( Stercorarius skua ) or arctic skua ( S. parasiticus ) both of which harass terns or gulls into dropping or disgorging fish they have caught

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Etymology

Origin of skua

1670–80; < Faeroese skū ( g ) vur; cognate with Old Norse skūfr tassel, tuft, also skua (in poetry), akin to shove ¹

Example Sentences

Five other seabirds were already on the list - the puffin, kittiwake, herring gull, roseate tern and arctic skua.

From BBC • Sep. 2, 2024

In October a report by the British Antarctic Survey confirmed the avian flu's existence near Antarctica on Bird Island in the South Georgia region, particularly afflicting a species of bird known as the brown skua.

From Salon • Dec. 10, 2023

That evening we scanned the cliffs for puffins, Arctic skua, white-tailed eagles and sea eagles that nest and breed in the area.

From The Guardian • Jun. 17, 2020

If you fail to catch a skua during your first approach, he says, it will never let you get close again.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 13, 2018

She was closer to the ocean than she thought, for the skua is a bird of the coastal waters of the Arctic.

From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George