Antarctic Shag vs Spectacled Cormorant

Leucocarbo bransfieldensis compared with Urile perspicillatus

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Antarctic Shag Spectacled Cormorant
Scientific Name Leucocarbo bransfieldensis Urile perspicillatus
Order Suliformes Suliformes
Family Phalacrocoracidae Phalacrocoracidae
Conservation Status Not Evaluated Extinct
Length
Wingspan
Weight 2780.0 g (98.06 oz)
Diet -- --
Clutch Size 2-3 --
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Antarctic Shag only

None

Spectacled Cormorant only

None

Conservation Status

Not Evaluated

Antarctic Shag

Extinct

Spectacled Cormorant

About These Birds

Antarctic Shag

63–72 cm. Black above; white below; caruncles reduced compared to related shags. Breeds on the Antarctic Peninsula and associated islands. Feeds on fish in cold Antarctic coastal waters. One of the southernmost-breeding cormorants; largely sedentary around breeding colonies.

Spectacled Cormorant

Extinct; last recorded in 1850 on Bering Island. Very large; dark green-black with white spectacle marks. Flightless or near-flightless. Endemic to Bering Sea islands; exterminated within decades of discovery by Russian fur traders hunting for food. One of the few recently extinct cormorants.

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