Great Cormorant vs Pitt Island Shag
Phalacrocorax carbo compared with Phalacrocorax featherstoni
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Great Cormorant | Pitt Island Shag |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Phalacrocorax carbo | Phalacrocorax featherstoni |
| Order | Suliformes | Suliformes |
| Family | Phalacrocoracidae | Phalacrocoracidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Endangered |
| Length | 90.0 cm (35.4 in) | — |
| Wingspan | 145.0 cm (57.1 in) | 43.7 cm (17.2 in) |
| Weight | 2600.0 g (91.71 oz) | 1043.75 g (36.82 oz) |
| Diet | Fish caught by diving from the surface. Pursues prey underwater using powerful feet for propulsion. … | -- |
| Clutch Size | 1-7 | 3 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Great Cormorant
Coasts, estuaries, lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. Nests in colonies in trees, on cliffs, or on the ground.
Song & Call Comparison
Great Cormorant
Deep, guttural grunts and 'karrr' calls at colonies. Bill-clicking and hissing in threat displays. Silent at sea. Colonial noise can be deafening during the breeding season.
Pitt Island Shag
Geographic Range & Migration
Great Cormorant
Very wide range across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australasia. One of the most widespread cormorant species.
Pitt Island Shag
Conservation Status
Great Cormorant
Pitt Island Shag
How to Tell Them Apart
Great Cormorant
All black with a bronze-green gloss. White throat patch and white thigh patches in breeding season. Yellow-orange face patch around the bill base.
Long, hooked, dark bill with a yellow gape
Pitt Island Shag
About These Birds
Great Cormorant
The great cormorant is one of the most widespread seabirds in the world. Unlike most waterbirds, cormorants lack fully waterproof plumage, leading to the iconic pose of standing with wings spread open to dry. In Asia, cormorants have been used by fishermen to catch fish for over a thousand years.
Pitt Island Shag
63 cm. Dark grey-brown; orange facial skin. Endemic to Pitt Island in the Chatham Islands group, New Zealand. Critically Endangered; fewer than 300 birds known. Feeds on inshore fish in cold coastal waters. Very restricted range on a single isolated island group.