Genus Phalacrocorax Higher classification Phalacrocorax | Family Phalacrocoracidae Phylum Chordata Rank Species | |
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Scientific name Phalacrocorax carunculatus Similar Cormorant, Bird, Bounty shag, Otago shag, Spotted shag | ||
new zealand king shag 2015 12 06
The New Zealand king shag (Phalacrocorax carunculatus), also known as the rough-faced shag or king shag, is a rare bird endemic to New Zealand.
Contents
Description
It is a large (76 cm long, 2.5 kg in weight) black and white cormorant with pink feet. White patches on the wings appear as bars when the wings are folded. Yellow-orange swellings (caruncles) are found above the base of the bill. The grey gular pouch is reddish in the breeding season. A blue eye-ring indicates its kinship with the other blue-eyed shags. They can be seen from the Cook Strait ferries in Queen Charlotte Sound opposite the beginning of the Tory Channel.
Habitat
New Zealand king shags live in the coastal waters of the Marlborough Sounds where they are known to breed only on rocky islets at four small sites.
