Stercorarius is the single genus of the family Stercorariidae, also known as skuas or jaegers.
The birds of this family are long-distance migrants.

Charadriiformes, from Charadrius, the type genus of family Charadriidae) is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. 
Most members of this order can also collectively be referred to as shorebirds.

The English word "skua" comes from the Faroese name for the great skua, skúgvur [ˈskɪkvʊɹ].
The word "jaeger" or Jäger is German for "hunter".
The genus name Stercorarius (and the family name Stercorariidae) is Latin and means "of dung"; the food, once thought to be excrement, disgorged by other birds when pursued by skuas.