What are Shags??

What are shags...

 

While most of the world call them Cormorants, and the UK calling the the coastal European shag as 'Shag' and the inland Great cormorant as 'Cormorant...'

In Aotearoa New Zealand...

We affectionately call all of our Cormorants... Shags

Why shags and what is so special about shags/Cormorants...???

The shag/cormorant family, around 40 odd species/subspecies, ranging from the 100cm Flightless cormorant and the Great cormorant (the most global cormorant) are the largest of them all. The Great cormorant looks as big as a swan in flight, through to the tiny 45cm Pygmy Cormorant..

Shags/Cormorants are one of the most adaptable and vastly spread species of bird in the world. Their range spreads across every one of the seven continents, from the coldest of coastal climates of Europe, North and South America in the Arctic and Antarctic circle, the warmths of fresh water bodies in the jungles of Asia, tropical islands around Oceania and the desert rivers of Africa and everything in between.... 

Shags/Cormorants are also part of a vast and varied group of birds that are part of the same family of expert fish hunters that include the graceful and elegant dive bombers.. The gannets and it's tropical cousines.. the Boobies.. the graceful and swift tropic birds and their beautiful long tail streamers.. The massive, outrageous and clumsy looking pelicans and also a distant relative... the fearest pirates of the tropics.. the frigate birds... 

All are linked with being birds... unlike other water birds such as gulls and ducks with only three toes webbed... Shags and its greater family.. all have their four toes webbed.. 

This.. and along with lack of waterproofing in their feathers.... Makes these birds incredibly skilled and agile fish seeking harpoons underwater and unlike their graceful gannets/boobies, swift tropic birds/frigate birds and driftnet beaked pelicans.....

Of course, that lack of waterproofing come at a cost... and that's the iconic.. wings spread out stance on a rock or a branch in a tree... many would recognise when visiting  a lake or ocean. Not all species of shag do, like the various coastal shag species... but most do...