Pitt Shag
Phalacrocorax featherstoni
The Pitt Shag (Phalacrocorax featherstoni) is a rare cormorants and shag found only in New Zealand, weighing about 1.0 kg. The Pitt shag, also known as the Pitt Island shag or Featherstone's shag, is a species of bird in the family Phalacrocoracidae.
About the Pitt Shag
The Pitt shag, also known as the Pitt Island shag or Featherstone's shag, is a species of bird in the family Phalacrocoracidae. It is endemic to Pitt Island where its natural habitats are open seas and rocky shores. The bird with the color of a dark body, gray chest, yellow eyes and feet can be found in small groups in their breeding habitat or alone within 18 km from their territory searching for food. The species was close to extinction in 1905 but actions of conservation have been done ever since. The Pitt shag is threatened by habitat loss due to predation and climate change causing a decline from 1997 to 2012, but there is a recovery plan by the Department of Conservation.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
Members of the shag family belong to three groups, based on the color of their feet: black, yellow or pink. Outside New Zealand, the black-footed shags are better known as cormorants. The Pitt shag belongs to the yellow footed group. They are about 63 cm in length and weigh 650–1300 g, with a slim build. The Pitt shag has a yellow colored detail around the eyes, light gray at the neck and chest, and the rest of the head, back, wings and tail with shades of black and navy.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, October, November, December, with peak activity in December. It is a summer visitor species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Pitt Shag?
- Members of the shag family belong to three groups, based on the color of their feet: black, yellow or pink. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Pitt Shag?
- The Pitt Shag is a large sized bird weighing about 1.0 kg.
- Where can you see a Pitt Shag?
- The Pitt Shag is endemic to New Zealand, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What birds look similar to a Pitt Shag?
- The Pitt Shag is most easily confused with the Socotra Cormorant, the Bank Cormorant and the Japanese Cormorant.
- Is the Pitt Shag endangered?
- The Pitt Shag is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Pitt Shag for real
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