Guide to North American Birds
Conservation status Most of breeding range is remote from human impacts. No evidence of major changes in population.
Family Skuas and Jaegers
Habitat Ocean, coastal bays, lakes (rarely); tundra (summer). Spends most of year at sea, concentrating over continental shelf within a few miles of land, rarely far out in mid-ocean. Breeds in open country of far north, mostly tundra, also rocky barrens and coastal marshes. Immatures and non-breeders may remain at sea all year.
This is the mid-sized member of the jaeger trio, and the most familiar, as it is the one most likely to be seen from shore. Variable in plumage, it occurs in dark, light, and intermediate morphs.

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Feeding Behavior

At sea, does much of foraging by chasing other birds and forcing them to drop their catch; also dips down in flight to catch fish at surface. On breeding grounds, also hovers and swoops down to catch prey, and feeds while walking.


Eggs

2, sometimes 1-3. Olive to brown, rarely blue, spotted with brown. Incubation is by both sexes, 25-28 days. Young: Downy young may leave nest a few days after hatching, but remain in vicinity. Both parents feed young, by regurgitation. Young can fly at 25-30 days, but remain with parents for a few more weeks.


Young

Downy young may leave nest a few days after hatching, but remain in vicinity. Both parents feed young, by regurgitation. Young can fly at 25-30 days, but remain with parents for a few more weeks.

Diet

Includes fish, birds, rodents. Diet at sea and at coastal nesting areas is mostly fish stolen from other birds. On land, also eats many birds and their eggs, rodents, insects, berries. Less dependent on lemmings and other rodents than the other jaegers.


Nesting

Usually first breeds at age of 4-5 years; in one study in Europe, birds of pale morph tended to start nesting younger than dark birds. May nest in colonies or in isolated pairs. Early in breeding season, pairs or groups perform acrobatic display flights. Courtship involves upright posturing, calling; male feeds female. Nest site (selected by male) is on the ground in the open, sometimes on a slight rise. Nest (built mostly by female) is a shallow depression, usually with a sparse lining of plant material.

Illustration © David Allen Sibley.
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Text © Kenn Kaufman, adapted from
Lives of North American Birds

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Migration

Often seems to follow general trend of coastline, a few miles offshore; some may regularly migrate over land. A few remain in winter as far north as North American waters but most go farther south, some reaching southern Australia, Africa, South America.

  • All Seasons - Common
  • All Seasons - Uncommon
  • Breeding - Common
  • Breeding - Uncommon
  • Winter - Common
  • Winter - Uncommon
  • Migration - Common
  • Migration - Uncommon

See a fully interactive migration map for this species on the Bird Migration Explorer.

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Songs and Calls

Usually silent; a variety of mewing and wailing notes on breeding grounds.
Audio © Lang Elliott, Bob McGuire, Kevin Colver, Martyn Stewart and others.
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How Climate Change Will Reshape the Range of the Parasitic Jaeger

Audubon’s scientists have used 140 million bird observations and sophisticated climate models to project how climate change will affect this bird’s range in the future.

Zoom in to see how this species’s current range will shift, expand, and contract under increased global temperatures.

Climate Threats Near You
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Climate threats facing the Parasitic Jaeger

Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too.