Feb 15

Bird of the day

South Georgia shag

Leucocarbo georgianus

The South Georgia shag (Leucocarbo georgianus), also known as the South Georgia cormorant, is a marine cormorant native to South Georgia and a few other subantarctic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Its lifespan is approximately 11 years.

The South Georgia shag has similar shape to a blue-eyed shag, but slightly bigger in size. Body length of a South Georgia shag is around 72–75 cm (28–30 in), with a wingspan of 54–60.8 cm (21.3–23.9 in). Males usually has a longer wingspan and tail length than female shag. South Georgia shag can reach 2.5–2.9 kg (5.5–6.4 lb).

The South Georgia shag has a strong, long beak, with grooves on both sides of the upper beak and a hook at the end of the beak for pecking at fish. A throat pouch at the base of the lower beak. It has small nostrils, which are completely hidden in the adult. The neck is slender. Two wings are of moderate length and lack the fifth secondary flight feather. Tail is rounded and stiffly straight, with 12–14 tail feathers. Cannot fly if the feathers are wet.

Aliases

Georgian cormorant