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- Phalacrocorax melanoleucos
Alternative Names: Little Shag (New Zealand)
Identification
50-60cm. Black above and white below, with short yellow bill and black feet. The juvenile's plumage is all black.
Distribution
Indonesia, Solomon Islands, Australia and New Zealand.
Taxonomy
Subspecies[1]
- P.m.melanoleucos Lesser Sundas to Solomon Islands, Australia and Tasmania
- P.m.brevicauda Rennel I. (Solomon Islands)
- P.m.brevirostris New Zealand, Stewart and Campbell islands
Habitat
Open waterways and coast.
Behaviour
Diet includes aquatic animals, from insects to fish. The nest is a flat platform of sticks, lined with green leaves and is usually placed in a tree. Both adults share in egg incubation and care of the 3-4 young.
References
- Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
