Evidence found
19,271 records across 23 countries and territories, 1871–2026.
Stercorarius skua · GBIF taxon key 2481618
Where has the Great Skua been recorded?
Stercorarius skua occurrence evidence comes from 19,271 records in 23 countries and territories, from 1871 to 2026. Most records come from Sweden.
- 19,271 records
- 23 places
- 94 years recorded
- Aves class
Observation evidence passport
Source coverage
CC0 GBIF Animalia occurrence facets, including country, month and year summaries.
Refreshed 2026-09-24. Inspect the taxon on GBIF.
What this means
The species has been recorded in the listed places in the stated source universe. Peak month: October.
7 months reach at least 10% of the peak facet count.
What this does not mean
repeated describes the record pattern, not a formal range, residency, abundance or conservation assessment.
A single record remains evidence of a recording, not proof that a population lives there.
Compare this animal’s observation pattern
When it is recorded
JFMAMJJASOND
Peak month: October. Records cluster in the months an animal is present and being looked for, so a summer peak can reflect observer effort as much as the animal.
Records over time
18712026
Recording effort has risen steeply almost everywhere since the 1990s, so a rising line usually shows more observers rather than more animals.
Where Great Skua has been recorded
The countries below show where occurrence evidence exists for Great Skua. They do not define a complete habitat range: survey effort differs by place, and historical or one-off records can appear alongside repeated presence.
| Place | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 15,883 | |
| Belgium | 2,506 | |
| United Kingdom | 376 | |
| United States | 253 | |
| Spain | 56 | |
| Canada | 47 | |
| Netherlands | 39 | |
| Iceland | 23 | |
| Austria | 20 | |
| France | 19 | |
| Antarctica | 17 | |
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 8 | |
| Norway | 3 | |
| Argentina | 2 | |
| Germany | 2 | |
| Falkland Islands | 2 | |
| Greenland | 2 | |
| New Zealand | 2 | |
| Denmark | 1 | |
| South Georgia | 1 | |
| Ireland | 1 | |
| Saint Helena | 1 | |
| ZZ | 1 |
Related animals
Others in the family Stercorariidae.
Parasitic Jaeger
97,476 records
Long-tailed Jaeger
28,610 records
Pomarine Jaeger
21,146 records
South Polar Skua
717 records
Brown Skua
285 records
Record pattern: repeated
Repeated records across many years and months. This is inferred from how many years and months the animal appears in, not from a range map — treat it as evidence, not a formal assessment.
Repeated records across many years and months. This is inferred from how many years and months the animal appears in, not from a range map — treat it as evidence, not a formal assessment.