skua

American  

[skyoo-uh] / ˈskyu 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

He re-joined the group Skua, which he had been previously been involved with as a teenager.

From BBC • Jul. 24, 2023

There were no witnesses to the accident but the skipper of the Skua fishing boat raised the alarm when he realised the Harriet J was unmanned at about 07:45.

From BBC • Jun. 22, 2023

He quit the group in 2002 and rejoined his former rock band Skua.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2023

The Sea Skua streaks to its destination at over 550 m.p.h. and as little as 6 ft. above the surface.

From Time Magazine Archive

We named this island the Skua, after our good yacht—a wild mountainous island it was, with never a trace of living vegetable life on it, but, marvellous to relate, the fossil remains of sub-tropical trees.

From In Touch with Nature Tales and Sketches from the Life by Stables, Gordon