Stewart Island Shag vs Pygmy Cormorant

Leucocarbo chalconotus compared with Microcarbo pygmaeus

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Stewart Island Shag Pygmy Cormorant
Scientific Name Leucocarbo chalconotus Microcarbo pygmaeus
Order Suliformes Suliformes
Family Phalacrocoracidae Phalacrocoracidae
Conservation Status Vulnerable Least Concern
Length
Wingspan 56.7 cm (22.3 in) 40.2 cm (15.8 in)
Weight 2368.75 g (83.56 oz) 693.3333333333334 g (24.46 oz)
Diet -- --
Clutch Size 2-3 2-8
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Stewart Island Shag only

None

Pygmy Cormorant only

Conservation Status

Vulnerable

Stewart Island Shag

Least Concern

Pygmy Cormorant

About These Birds

Stewart Island Shag

68 cm. Black and white pied shag; dark forms also occur; orange caruncles. Endemic to Stewart Island and southern South Island coast, New Zealand. Vulnerable; feeds on fish in cold coastal waters. Colonial nester on cliff ledges; closely related to other New Zealand endemic shags.

Pygmy Cormorant

45–55 cm. Small; dark brown with chestnut head and neck in breeding; pale yellow throat. Resident across eastern Europe, Middle East, and Central Asia in freshwater lakes and rivers. Vulnerable; declining due to wetland degradation. Feeds on small fish by diving.

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