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 LC    Imperial Shag* Id (Atlas): 970
    Leucocarbo atriceps Vagrant

Description (10)
Image of Imperial Shag
 

Other Scientific Names
Leucocarbo atriceps [Turbott (1990)]

Other Names (World)
Imperial Shag, Imperial Cormorant, Blue-eyed Cormorant

Family
Phalacrocoracidae (Cormorants)

Size
65 - 80 cm
Wingspan: 90 - 105 cm

First Described (Guide)
King, 1828

Derivation
Phal'-a-cro-cor'-ax - Gk, phalacros, bald; Gk, corax, crow or raven: atriceps - ?

Abundance (Guide)
V

Common on Heard and Maquarie Islands, vagrant to adjacent islands.

Habitat
Marine, keeping to shallower inshore waters.

Range (Guide)
Antarctica (B), Argentina, Australia (B), Chile, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), French Southern Territories (B), Heard Island and McDonald Islands, South Africa (B), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (B).

Vagrant to Uruguay (NB).

Image of Range of Imperial Shag
Breeding resident on Heard and Macquarie Islands.
 
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.

Population
Estimated population is 340,000 - 1,400,000 (2010).

Status LC
Secure.

See also EPBC Act List of Threatened Fauna for subspecies nivalis (Heard Island).

For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Food
Fish.

Voice
Barks, gargles, growls. Female hisses. Noisy in colonies and when intruders approach the nest.

Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (4)...)

 
Imperial Shag (Leucocarbo atriceps) [XC64764]
     by Bernabe Lopez-Lanus from Puerto de Comodoro Rivadavia, Chubut, Argentina (call, call 1)

 
Imperial Shag (Leucocarbo atriceps) [XC64763]
     by Bernabe Lopez-Lanus from Puerto de Comodoro Rivadavia, Chubut, Argentina (call, call 1)

Breeding Season (Guide)
Does not breed in Australia. Breeds on Heard and Macquarie Islands.

J F M A M J J A S O N D
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


Nest
A shallow bowl of vegatation, on rocks and cliffs. In small colonies.

Eggs (Guide)
1 - 3; pale blue.

Subspecies
Subspecies albiventer formerly considered a distinct species. Some authors also included Crozet Shag (Phalacrocorax melanogenis), Kerguelen Shag (Leucocarbo verrucosus) and Phalacrocorax purpurascens within Phalacrocorax albiventer.

Antarctic Shag (Phalacrocorax bransfieldensis), South Georgia Shag (Phalacrocorax georgianus) and Phalacrocorax nivalis are frequently considered to be included in Crozet Shag (Phalacrocorax melanogenis).

Phalacrocorax atriceps (Turbott 1990) includes bransfieldensis, verrucosus and georgianus contra Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993). BirdLife International has not currently split this species.

The following 2 subspecies are recognised:

  • atriceps King, 1828   -  Southern South America.
  • albiventer (Lesson, R, 1831)   -  Falkland Is.



References
See References.

The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9

More... see more information (images, calls, videos etc)


Files:
JPG files for Imperial Shag (Leucocarbo atriceps) - 10 files


More Information

BirdLife International

For more information about the Imperial Shag see... Show Articles BirdLife International Species Factsheet.


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