Pomarine Jaeger

Pomarine Jaeger

Stercorarius pomarinus

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Table Mountain National Park
12 Verified sightings at Table Mountain National Park From 2019 to 2026
547 Verified sightings across all 31 parks From 2019 to 2026
May Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Pomarine Jaeger

The pomarine jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus), pomarine skua, or pomatorhine skua, is a seabird in the skua family Stercorariidae. It is a migrant, wintering at sea in the tropical oceans. The pomarine jaeger is most closely related to the larger skuas (species formerly placed in a separate genus Catharacta: great skua, Chilean skua, brown skua, and south polar skua). Together, the pomarine jaeger and the larger skuas are sister to the two smaller skua species, the parasitic jaeger and long-tailed jaeger.

The evolutionary relationships of the pomarine jaeger were formerly controversial. Based on plumage similarity between the pomarine jaeger and the two smaller jaegers (long-tailed jaeger and parasitic jaeger), the three jaegers were formerly placed in a separate genus from the larger skuas (with the jaegers in Stercorarius and the larger skuas in the former genus Catharacta). However, behavioural evidence was recognized early on as suggesting a link between the pomarine jaeger and the larger skuas: for example, both pomarine jaeger and great skuas perform wing-raising displays, a behaviour that is absent in the two smaller jaegers. Skeletal data also hinted at a closer... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Table Mountain National Park

Brown Skua

Brown Skua

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Stercorarius antarcticus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Parasitic Jaeger
LC

Parasitic Jaeger

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Stercorarius parasiticus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Dominican Gull
LC

Dominican Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus dominicanus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Hartlaub's Gull

Hartlaub's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus hartlaubii

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
African Black Oystercatcher
LC

African Black Oystercatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haematopus moquini

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Crested Tern
LC

Crested Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus bergii

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Blacksmith Lapwing
LC

Blacksmith Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus armatus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Common Tern
LC

Common Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna hirundo

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Sandwich Tern
LC

Sandwich Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus sandvicensis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Spotted Thick-knee
LC

Spotted Thick-knee

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Burhinus capensis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Upland Sandpiper
LC

Upland Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Bartramia longicauda

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Grey-hooded Gull

Grey-hooded Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kenai Fjords National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
2 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
3 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
4 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
5 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 Paracas National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
7 Raja Ampat 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
8 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
9 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
10 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
11 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
12 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
<5%
13 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
14 Galápagos Islands 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
15 Vatnajokull National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
Insufficient data
16 Katmai National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
17 Isla del Coco National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
18 Komodo National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
Insufficient data
19 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
Insufficient data
20 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
21 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
22 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
Insufficient data
23 Royal National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
24 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
25 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
26 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
27 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
28 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Insufficient data
29 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
30 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
31 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Pomarine Jaeger in Table Mountain National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pomarine Jaeger sighting in Table Mountain National Park, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Pomarine Jaeger in Table Mountain National Park?

May has the highest sighting rate for Pomarine Jaeger in Table Mountain National Park in our monthly data.

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