Kauaʻi record · kba_bird_south_polar_skua
South Polar Skua
Stercorarius maccormicki
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About South Polar Skua
South Polar Skua (Stercorarius maccormicki) is recorded as a migrant or nonbreeding visitor on Kauaʻi in the Bishop Museum's 2017 island checklist. This is a documented island occurrence, not a claim of an individual sighting in 2026.
Kauaʻi evidence
Bishop Museum island checklist (version 2, 2017) lists Kauaʻi status M: migrant or nonbreeding visitor. See original island table. A Hawaiʻi-level record is available, but the species needs a documented Kauaʻi observation before local ecological conclusions are drawn.
Occurrence evidence
bishop_island_checklist_2017
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Stercorarius maccormicki
- Common names
- South Polar Skua
- Family
- Stercorariidae
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Record type
- Species
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Kauaʻi documented: migrant or nonbreeding visitor (2017 island checklist)
- Origin
- Indigenous visitor
- Conservation status
- Not assessed
- Evidence date
- 2026-09-13
- Evidence limits
- Island occurrence supported by the 2017 checklist; abundance and current year presence are not established here
Habitat and ecology
- Habitats
- Shorelines
- Food and resource needs
- Food and resources may include marine prey such as fish, squid, crustaceans, areas schooling prey, carrion, or kleptoparasitic food pathways depending on the seabird role
- Reproduction
- Breeding on Kauaʻi is not established; seasonal resting and foraging habitat may be relevant.
- Shelter
- Shelter and structure within shorelines.
Threats and conservation
- Threats
- Coastal disturbance, fishery/prey availability, light attraction, marine debris, disease, and rare-record review are open questions
- Conservation actions
- Document date, place, observer, habitat, and supporting media · Confirm identification and Kauaʻi occurrence before local conservation use
- Monitoring
- Document date, place, observer, habitat, behavior, and supporting media for any Kauaʻi observation.
- Data gaps
- Update island status with dated contemporary records · Specific Kauaʻi habitat and abundance need local evidence
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal timing
- Rare Or Unresolved Hawaiian Coastal Pelagic Record Needs Kauai Review
- Seasonal description
- South Polar Skua (Stercorarius maccormicki) is recorded as a migrant or nonbreeding visitor on Kauaʻi in the Bishop Museum's 2017 island checklist. This is a documented island occurrence, not a claim of an individual sighting in 2026.
Sources and further reading
- https://westernfieldornithologists.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Hawaiian_Islands_Bird_Checklist-Jan-2019.pdf
- https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/wildlife/sanctuaries/kaua%CA%BBi-offshore-islets-seabird-sanctuaries/
- https://hawaiibirdingtrails.hawaii.gov/birding_hotspot/salt-pond-beach-park/
- https://hawaiibirdingtrails.hawaii.gov/birding_hotspot/kilauea-point-national-wildlife-refuge/
- https://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/birds/rlp-monograph/SEHIlist.htm