| European Shag | ||||||||||||||
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 European Shag at nest with chicks
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| Phalacrocorax aristotelis (Linnaeus, 1758) |
The European Shag or Common Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) is a species of cormorant. Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as, May 23 new style (13 May old style 1707 who laid the foundations for The Bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 Species of cormorants and shags. It breeds around the rocky coasts of western and southern Europe, southwest Asia and north Africa, mainly wintering in its breeding range except for northernmost birds. Bird migration refers to the regular seasonal journeys undertaken by many species of Birds Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability In Britain this seabird is usually referred to as simply the Shag. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Seabirds are Birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment [2]
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Description
This is a medium-large black bird, 68-78 cm long and with a 95-110 cm wingspan. Croatia (Hrvatska ˈxȓvatska officially the Republic of Croatia ( Republika Hrvatska) is a southern Central European country at the crossroads between Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. It has a longish tail and yellow throat-patch. Adults have a small crest in the breeding season. It is distinguished from the Great Cormorant by its smaller size, lighter build, thinner bill, and, in breeding adults, by the crest and metallic green-tinged sheen on the feathers. The Great Cormorant ( Phalacrocorax carbo) known as the Great Black Cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere the Black Cormorant in Australia and the Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering or Plumage, on Birds They are considered the most complex integumentary structures Among those differences are that a shag has a lighter, narrower beak; and the juvenile shag has darker underparts. The European Shag's tail has 12 feathers; the Great Cormorant, 14 feathers. The green sheen on the feathers results in the alternative name "Green Cormorant" sometimes being given to the European Shag.
Habitat
It feeds in the sea, and, unlike the Great Cormorant, is rare inland. It will winter along any coast that is well-supplied with fish. Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two
The European Shag is one of the deepest divers among the cormorant family. Using depth gauges, European Shags have been shown to dive to at least 45 metres. A depth gauge is a Pressure gauge that displays the equivalent depth in water European Shags are preponderantly benthic feeders, i. The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a Body of water such as an Ocean or a Lake, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface e. they find their prey on the sea bottom. They will eat a wide range of fish but their commonest prey is the sand eel. Sand eel or sandeel is the common name used for a considerable number of species of Fish. Shags will travel many kilometres from their roosting sites in order to feed.
In UK coastal waters, dive times are typically around 20-45 seconds, with a recovery time of around 15 seconds between dives; this is consistent with aerobic diving, i. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located e. the bird depends on the oxygen in its lungs and dissolved in its bloodstream during the dive. Oxygen (from the Greek roots ὀξύς (oxys (acid literally "sharp" from the taste of acids and -γενής (-genēs (producer literally begetteris the lung is the essential Respiration organ in air-breathing Animals including most Tetrapods a few Fish and a few Snails The most primitive Blood is a specialized Bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's cells such as nutrients and oxygen—and transports Waste products When they dive, they jump out of the water first to give extra impetus to the dive.
It breeds on coasts, nesting on rocky ledges or in crevices or small caves. County Donegal (ˌdʌnəˈgɔːl Irish: Contae Dhún na nGall. The nests are untidy heaps of rotting seaweed or twigs cemented together by the bird's own guano. Seaweed is a loose colloquial term encompassing macroscopic Multicellular, benthic marine Algae. Guano (from the Quechua 'wanu' via Spanish) is the Feces of Seabirds Bats and seals The nesting season is long, beginning in late February but some nests not starting until May or even later. Three eggs are laid. In most Birds and Reptiles an egg ( Latin ovum) is the Zygote, resulting from Fertilization of the Ovum. Their chicks hatch without down and so they rely totally on their parents for warmth, often for a period of two months before they can fly. Fledging may occur at any time from early June to late August, exceptionally to mid October.
Species
There are three subspecies:
- Phalacrocorax aristotelis aristotelis - northwestern Europe (Atlantic Ocean coasts)
- Phalacrocorax aristotelis desmarestii - southern Europe, southwest Asia (Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea coasts)
- Phalacrocorax aristotelis riggenbachi - northwest African coast
The subspecies differ slightly in bill size and the breast and leg colour of young birds. In Zoology, as in other branches of Biology, subspecies is the Taxonomic rank immediately subordinate to a Species. The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey Recent evidence suggests that birds on the Atlantic coast of southwest Europe are distinct from all three, and may be an as-yet undescribed subspecies (Yésou et al. , Brit. Birds 98: 369-370, 2005). British Birds is a monthly Ornithology Journal, founded in 1907
The name shag is also used in the Southern Hemisphere for several additional species of cormorants. Southern Hemisphere is the half of a Planet that is South of the Equator —the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' The Bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 Species of cormorants and shags.
Example locations
The European Shag can be readily be seen at the following breeding locations in the season (late April to mid July): Farne Islands, England; Fowlsheugh, Scotland; Runde, Norway; Faroe Islands and Galicia. Runde is an island in Herøy municipality Møre og Romsdal county in Norway. The Farne Islands (also referred to less formally as the Farnes) are a group of islands off the coast of Northumberland, England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Fowlsheugh is a Coastal Nature reserve in Kincardineshire, northeast Scotland, known for its seventy metre high cliff formations and habitat supporting Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Runde is an island in Herøy municipality Møre og Romsdal county in Norway. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional The Faroe Islands or Faeroe Islands or simply Faroe(s or Faeroes (Føroyar meaning " Sheep Islands" Færøerne Old Norse Galicia (occasionally Galiza) is an autonomous community in northwest Spain.
The largest colony of European Shags is in the Cies Islands, with 2,500 pairs (25% of the world's population). The Cíes Islands (42° 13′ 24″ N 8° 54′ 14″ O are an Archipelago in the coast of Pontevedra in Galicia (Spain, in the mouth of the Ría
References
- ^ BirdLife International (2004). BirdLife International (formerly known as the International Council for Bird Preservation, not to be confused with Birds International) is the international conservation Phalacrocorax aristotelis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List) created in 1963 is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 5 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- ^ Annotated List of the Seabirds of the World - Boobies, Cormorants, Frigatebirds and Tropicbirds www. oceanwanderers. com. Retrieved 2007-10-08. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 314 - Roman Emperor Licinius is defeated by his colleague Constantine I at the Battle of Cibalae, and loses
External links
- European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis Joint Nature Conservation Committee, www. jncc. gov. uk.
- Phalacrocorax aristotelis Stamps
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