Stewart Island Shag
Leucocarbo chalconotus (Gray, GR, 1845)
Phalacrocoracidae — Cormorants, Shags
Stewart Island Shag, Leucocarbo chalconotus, is a shag that breeds in Australasia on South Island and Stewart Island, New Zealand. It belongs to the cormorant and shag family and was first described by Gray in 1845. The bird is notable for having two plumages: some individuals are pied, while most are dark throughout. Breeding birds also show variation in facial ornamentation, with either dark orange papillae or small bright orange caruncles above the bill, and the gular pouch can range from bright orange to purple.
- Order
- Suliformes
- Family
- Phalacrocoracidae — Cormorants, Shags
- Breeding range
- Australasia: South and Stewart is. (New Zealand)
