The skua is a large brown predatory bird of the artic. The skua was named appropriately so, the inspiration behind it being the island of skuvoy, which is home to a large colony of the skua. The skua otherwise known as the Jaeger (another term coined from the German language meaning hunter) is a large bird of the Stercorariidae family .without the careful genetic research and classification, the skua could have easily passed for a gull although the gull is smaller for the skua.

Adult skuas have characteristic long tail feathers and are white on their bellies. They are very strong and tend to live long. They rival the terns in their migratory patterns. The skua mostly nest on the ground, with the exception being on trees when the

Its main diet is fish which is supplemented by a diet of bird species that live in the same environment. The skua will make a meal of adult and young birds and the eggs of such birds. By o so it kills two birds with one stone, i.e. it gets food to eat and gets rid of the competition from other sea birds like puffins, gulls and the once in while heron. It is also known for chasing other birds to get hold of their catch regardless of the size of the catch. The skua can eat food up to three times the sizes of its own body. They are very aggressive and zealous at protecting their young and therefore their young ones rarely get killed by other birds. They will feed on the carcasses of other sea creatures once they are available. Seals and walruses for example rarely get killed by predators for they live in large schools and they protect themselves. They however suffer competition and when food gets scarce, they will fight each other, leaving the skuas and other scavengers to have their fill of the carcasses.

They are larger than the average bird and are mainly brown in color, with the exception being grey. The wing span of the average size skua is about 45 inches and its height is about one foot. A skua has white markings on their wings. The heaviest skua weighs in at about 3.5 pounds, which is rather large for a bird. They are well adapted to their predatory nature, with long sharp claws and curved bills. Their feet are webbed making them well adapted to wading in water, although they rarely do.

As had been mentioned before, the skua is a species that can easily be passed off for a gull. The skua is related to the auks and the gulls. It is larger than the auks and the gulls. During the breeding season the skuas migrate to much warmer climates and also in pursuit of the fish and other birds that form their diet. Among the many species of the skua include the long tailed skua (Stercorarius longicaudus) the Chilean skua (Stercorarius chilensis) and the Stercorarius parasiticus or pomarine skua.