Long-tailed Jaeger — Australian Bird Identification Guide | BetterBirding

Bird guideLong-tailed Jaeger

Slender gull-like seabird; the smallest of the three jaegers.

Spot this species Read on Wikipedia

⚠️Not listed

🍃Indigenous: Long-Tailed Skua

At a glance

FamilySkuas and Jaegers

SizeLarge

RarityUncommon

HabitatMostly pelagic and coastal, often over open ocean, around islands, and near concentrations of seabirds or fishing activity.

Best timeMost reliable in New South Wales from February.

Sounds

Sound sample

0:000:00

Recorded by Petter Westberg

Range map

Range map

Occurrence window

192approx hotspots

1751approx records

3states

Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence

Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.

Species notes

Overview

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.

Behavior

Breeds on Arctic tundra; spends the rest of the year at sea.

Gallery

Regional timing

New South Wales

Peak: February623 records

Victoria

Peak: February to March93 records

Tasmania

Peak: November4 records

Queensland

Peak: March80 records

Western Australia

Peak: March to April3 records

Northern Territory

Peak: December1 records

South Australia

Peak: February2 records

Commonly confused with

Pomarine JaegerStercorarius pomarinusBreeding adults are unique with elongated spoon-shaped central tail feathers. Also note blackish-brown upperparts, messy black cap that extends below the bill, and extensive white flash on upper and underside of outerwing. Rare dark morph adult is entirely blackish-brown but still has white wing flashes. Immature birds are variable, but in general, they are barred with brown above and have bold black-and-white bars on the underwing and undertail coverts. Difficult to separate from other jaegers, especially Parasitic. At all ages, note powerful direct flight and broad wings. Typically shows white shafts on six to eight outer wing feathers (more than other jaegers) and more obvious white flash on underwing. Bill is also thicker than other jaegers. All jaegers chase other birds and steal their food.→Brown SkuaStercorarius antarcticusIn flight, exhibits a broad white patch on both upperwings and underwings. The dark morph of South Polar Skua has colder tones and a smaller bill, but field separation is difficult.→South Polar SkuaStercorarius maccormickiOften shows a pale blaze across the nape. Some birds have very pale blonde head and body. Breeds in Antarctica, further south than almost any other species of bird. Ranges across all oceans, mainly from March to October, typically staying offshore and very rarely seen from land. Compare with other skua species. In North Atlantic, Great Skua is warmer-toned, has a more capped or hooded appearance, and adults have golden spangles on upperparts. Separation from Brown Skua in Southern Hemisphere is more problematic; there are multiple populations of Brown Skuas and hybrids with South Polar are quite frequent! South Polar averages smaller-billed and slightly less bulky than Brown, and never has bold streaks or spangles on upperparts, but many birds are best left unidentified.→