Order) Suliformes
Family) Phalacrocoracidae
Species) Native Bird
Conservation Status) Recovering
Length) 65 – 85 cm
Weight) 1.3 – 2.1 kg
Other Names) Pied cormorant, karuhiruhi, kawau, yellow-faced cormorant , large pied shag
Threats) Habitat loss, fishing, and oil spills, Dogs, cats, and Stoats.
Identification
This large black-and-white shag is often seen individually or in a group, usually spotted in the ocean searching for food or hanging around fisherman by the rocks of Waiheke.
Pied shags mainly inhabit coastal habitats about much of New Zealand. Adults have the crown, back of the neck, mantle, rump, wings, thighs and tail black, although on close inspection the upper wing coverts are grey-black with a thin black border. The face, throat, sides of neck and underparts are white. The long, hooked beak is grey, the iris is green, and legs and feet black. On breeding adults, the skin in front of the eye is yellow, at the base of beak is pink or pink-red, and the eye-ring is blue.
They can usually be readily seen about harbours and estuaries associated with cities or towns. Unlike most other shag species, the pied shag is reasonably confiding, allowing close approach when roosting or nesting in trees. It generally forages alone, but occasionally in small groups when prey is abundant.
Non-breeding adults have paler skin colours than breeders. The upperparts of juveniles and immatures have dark and pale brown tones. Their underparts are white but with varying amounts of brown mottling, from almost entirely brown to little at all. The skin in front of eye is pale yellow, at the base of the beak is grey – pale pink, and eye-ring is grey.
Pied shags are generally silent away from nesting colonies, but quite vocal at colonies during pair formation, nest building and when one of a pair returns to nest during incubation.
Their is a similar species called little shag which is much smaller and has a short stubby yellow beak.
Breeding
Pied shags mainly nest in trees along coastal cliffs, with a few colonies in trees in or about freshwater lakes near the coast.
Clutches are laid in all months, with peaks during February-April and August-October.
Clutch size is typically 2-5 eggs which are Pale blue-green often with patchy white chalky coating when recently laid which erodes during incubation.
Both sexes share incubation and care of young.
Chicks start flying at 7-8 weeks of age, and remain at or near the colony to be fed by their parents for a further 10-11 weeks.
Food
Pied shags feed mainly on fish (6-15 cm long) such as flounder, mullet, eel, goldfish, perch, goatfish, kahawai, wrasse and common trevally, they also occasionally feed on crustaceans.
Pied Shags are generally a solitary forager, but occasionally small groups gather where prey is readily available. When swimming slowly at the surface, they use alternate feet, but when foraging underwater they use both feet at the same time for propulsion. Pied shags generally forage in water less than 10 m deep.
Waiheke Locations
Shelly Beach – I was fortunate to get to take photos of there nesting area a few years ago, on an old fallen pohutakawa tree.
Around Fisherman – Usually seen bobbing up and down in the ocean searching for food and hanging around fisherman by the rocks and boats.
Pied Shags are flying birds so they can really be anywhere on Waiheke but not just Waiheke they are all over New Zealand, these are just areas I’ve spotted them and photographed.
Gallery
