Head to head
Chilean Skua vs Brown Skua
Chilean Skua
VS Brown Skua
Both skuas are aggressive, opportunistic predators, but they breed in very different kinds of places and look quite different up close.
| Chilean Skua | Brown Skua | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Stercorarius chilensis | Stercorarius antarcticus |
| Plumage | Warm, cinnamon-toned underparts | Not distinctively cinnamon-coloured |
| Size | Not the largest skua | The largest skua species |
| Breeding range | Mainland coasts of Chile and Argentina | Subantarctic islands and the Antarctic Peninsula |
| Migration | Migrates north along the Pacific coast | Not documented as extensively migratory |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Population trend | Stable | Stable |
| Habitat | Ocean, coastal | Ocean, polar, coastal |
Chilean Skua vs Brown Skua: common questions
Which one has distinctive cinnamon-coloured underparts?
The Chilean skua is the one with this feature, warm cinnamon-toned underparts unlike the darker or greyer tones typical of the brown skua and most other skua species.
Which one is the larger skua?
The brown skua is the larger of the two, holding the record as the largest of all skua species, noticeably bigger than the Chilean skua.
Which one breeds on mainland coastlines rather than islands?
The Chilean skua breeds this way, nesting along the mainland coasts of southern Chile and Argentina, unlike the brown skua, which breeds mainly on remote subantarctic islands.