New Zealand King Shag

Leucocarbo carunculatus

Vulnerable · IUCN Red List

VUVulnerableEndemicFishMarinePlatform nestHuge · 2.6 kg

ID tip

It is a large (76 cm long, 2.5 kg in weight) black and white cormorant with pink feet. White patches on the wings appear as bars when the wings are folded. Yellow-orange swellings (caruncles) are found above the base of the bill. The grey gular pouch is reddish in the breeding season. A blue eye-ring indicates its kinship with the other blue-eyed shags. They show sexual dimorphism, with males being larger than females. This difference is noticeable as early as 17 days after hatching.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the New Zealand King Shag

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 10 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is November, the month with the most records.

Where to see the New Zealand King Shag

Regular range

The map shades 1 country with regular records. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

About the New Zealand King Shag

The New Zealand king shag, also known as the rough-faced shag, king shag or kawau pāteketeke, is a rare bird endemic to New Zealand. Some taxonomic authorities, including the International Ornithologists' Union, place this species in the genus Leucocarbo. Others place it in the genus Phalacrocorax.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

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