Parasitic Jaeger

The parasitic jaeger, or Arctic skua, is a small skua, 41–48cm long including a pointed tail streamer of about 7cm, with a wingspan of 107–125cm and a weight of 300–650g. It comes in light, dark and intermediate morphs. Light adults have a brown back, mainly white underparts, a yellowish-white head and neck with a black cap and a white flash on the dark primaries; dark adults are brown all over, but every morph shows the wing flash. It is easily confused with the long-tailed and pomarine jaegers, especially as a juvenile (Wikipedia, general species account).

It breeds on dry tundra, fells and islands across the north of Eurasia and North America, laying up to four olive-brown eggs, and migrates to winter at sea in the tropics and southern oceans. During migration and winter much of its food is stolen: it chases other seabirds until they drop their catch, the behaviour behind its name. Jaeger is German for hunter. SoIB 2023 lists it as a winter migrant in Indian waters but gives no trend or priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).