Págalo Colilargo
Long-tailed Jaeger
Stercorarius longicaudus
Song
Long-tailed Jaeger
Appearance: The Long-tailed Jaeger is characterized by its sleek and slender body, long pointed wings, and a distinctive long tail, which sets it apart from other jaeger species. During the breeding season, adults exhibit a striking plumage with a dark brown and gray body, white underparts, and bold black markings on the head and neck. Non-breeding individuals and juveniles have a more subdued plumage with mottled gray-brown feathers.
Habitat: Long-tailed Jaegers breed in Arctic and subarctic regions of North America, Europe, and Asia. They nest on open tundra, rocky cliffs, and islands in these high-latitude environments. During the non-breeding season, Long-tailed Jaegers undertake long migrations and can be found at sea, often far from land in open ocean areas.
Behavior: They are agile and acrobatic flyers, capable of aerial maneuvers to catch flying insects, snatch prey from the surface of the water, or pursue other seabirds to steal their food. They are known for their aggressive behavior, often harassing and stealing food from other seabirds in a behavior known as kleptoparasitism.
Breeding: Long-tailed Jaegers form monogamous pairs during the breeding season. They construct simple nests on the ground or on rocky outcrops. Females lay one to two eggs, which are incubated by both parents. The chicks are precocial, hatching covered in down and able to feed themselves shortly after.
Conservation Status: The Long-tailed Jaeger is not known to breed in Colombia or other tropical regions. Its breeding range is concentrated in the Arctic and subarctic regions, and it migrates long distances to winter at sea in the southern oceans.
Distribution
The Long-tailed Jaeger
Taxonomy
The Long-tailed Jaeger (Stercorarius longicaudus)
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Aves (Birds)
- Order: Charadriiformes
- Family: Stercorariidae
- Genus: Stercorarius
- Species: Stercorarius longicaudus
Vocalization
Calls: Long-tailed Jaegers are known to produce a variety of calls, including harsh, grating calls that can be described as "jaar-jaar" or "kree-ar." These calls are often used during territorial disputes, interactions with conspecifics, and to establish dominance in their breeding colonies.
Alarm Calls: Long-tailed Jaegers have distinct alarm calls that serve to alert other birds in the vicinity of potential threats or disturbances. These alarm calls are typically sharp, loud, and repeated to communicate danger and prompt a response from nearby individuals.
Courtship Calls: During the breeding season, Long-tailed Jaegers engage in courtship displays that involve vocalizations. These courtship calls can be more melodious and soft compared to their aggressive calls, signaling their readiness to mate and establish pair bonds.
Communication: Long-tailed Jaegers use vocalizations for general communication within their colonies, to coordinate hunting or scavenging activities, and to maintain social bonds with other individuals. These vocalizations help reinforce social hierarchies and facilitate cooperative behaviors among group members.
