Bird Guide

Bank Cormorant vs Spotted Shag

Bank Cormorant (Phalacrocorax neglectus)

Bank Cormorant

Phalacrocorax neglectus

Huge1.9 kgMarine

The bank cormorant is a heavy-bodied bird, roughly 75 cm in length. It is generally black in appearance with a bronze sheen, though the wings are a dark brown rather than a true black. Adults have a small crest on their heads, and normally have a white rump. Pale eyes in an all black face are considered to be distinctive for adults, with immature birds having dark eyes.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0
Spotted Shag (Phalacrocorax punctatus)

Spotted Shag

Phalacrocorax punctatus

Large1.2 kgMarine

The spotted shag is a medium-sized marine bird. They are usually between 64 and 74 centimetres (25 and 29 in) high and weigh between 700 and 1,200 grams (25 and 42 oz). Their bodies are very slim and they have a very distinctive black, decurved, double crest growing on their nape and their forehead. They have a long, slender, orange-brown coloured, hooked bill and yellow-orange feet. The feathers on their bodies are grey and blue. The adults have small black spots on their backs and wings, which gave them their name. Their irises are brown, while the ring around the iris is blue.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand · CC0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Bank Cormorant and Spotted Shag.