| Spotted Shag (Phalacrocorax punctatus (Sparrman, 1786)) |
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Scientific name: Phalacrocorax punctatus (Sparrman, 1786) Common name: Spotted Shag French name: Cormoran moucheté Order: Suliformes Family: Phalacrocoracidae Size: Body size: 64 to 74 cm; Weight: 700 to 1200 g; Wingspan: 91 to 99 cm. Habitat: Rocky coasts, estuaries and bays. This is a pelagic species which is also observed offshore up to 16 km from the coast. Food: Fish and marine invertebrates caught by diving and swimming underwater. Nesting: The Spotted Shag nests in colonies of varying size ranging from a few pairs to more than 700 and located on rocky ledges by the sea. The nest is a platform of small branches and other plants. There are 3 to 4 eggs per clutch. Migration: Spotted Shags concentrate on nesting sites in summer and disperse along the coasts, up to 200km away, in winter. Geographic area: New Zealand, mainly in the South Island, and adjacent islands. |
The Spotted Shag has a brown back finely spotted with black and a fairly light blue-grey underside. The tail, rump and thighs are black. A characteristic white stripe extends from above the eye to the side of the neck and chest. The orange-brown bill is long and very thin. The legs are orange-yellow. The adult in breeding plumage has a double black crest on the nape of the neck and on the front of the crown. This double crest quickly disappears at the start of nesting. There are two subspecies Phalacrocorax punctatus punctatus found on the North Island and the north and east coasts of the South Island, and Phalacrocorax punctatus oliveri found on the west coasts of the South Island and on Stewart Island. The latter subspecies is darker than the nominate subspecies and the white stripe on the sides of the head and neck is narrower. |
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The light coloured underside visible on the left Cormorant and the white stripe on the side of the head and neck visible on the far Cormorant indicate the Spotted Shag. I didn't have the pleasure of seeing the double crests. |
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This photo in flight allows you to see the thinness of the long bill and the white lateral stripe which seems quite narrow to me. Given the location of the observation, it is very likely that this is the Phalacrocorax punctatus oliveri subspecies. |
André Bon March 2024