- Phalacrocorax georgianus
Identification
Largish black and white, blue-eyed marine shag, Size 72-75 cm, wing 27-30.4 cm, Males are larger in most mensural data, particularly wing and tail lengths.
Similar Species
Smaller than the two closest living, similar species Imperial Shag and Antarctic Shag with a proportionally shorter bill. Has less white in the face than Antarctic Shag. Range does not overlap with either species.
Distribution
Restricted to South Georgia Islands, South Sandwich and South Orkney Islands.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species, which in the past has been included in Imperial Shag.
Habitat
Breeds on Tussac grass slopes, building truncated cone shaped nests of dried kelp, grass and mud.
Behaviour
Lays 2-3 greyish or bluish eggs in Nov-Dec, incubated by both sexes for 28-31 days. Chicks continuosly brood for 12-15 days and leave the nest at two months and fledge at around 65 days.
References
- Clements, James F. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2007. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019
- Alvaro Jaramillo. 2003. Birds of Chile. Princeton Field Guides. ISBN 0-691-11740-3
