European shag

The shag is a large black bird.

It has a yellow patch on its throat. Some feathers look green in the light. This bird lives by the sea. It dives deep to find fish.

It often finds food on the sea floor. The bird jumps out of the water to dive. It builds nests out of seaweed and twigs. The birds lay three eggs in their nests. The chicks need their parents to keep them warm.

The European shag is a medium-large black bird.

It has a long tail and a yellow patch on its throat. Some feathers have a green sheen. This means they look green in the light. Shags live near rocky coasts. They breed in Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

This bird is a great diver. It is one of the deepest divers in its family. To start a dive, the bird jumps out of the water. This gives it extra power to go down. Shags hunt in the benthic zone. This is a way to say they find food on the sea floor. They love to eat sand eels. They can travel many kilometers to find food.

Shags build nests on rocky ledges or in small caves. They use seaweed and twigs. They use their own guano, which is bird waste, to stick the nest together. A mother shag lays three eggs. The chicks hatch without downy feathers. They need their parents to keep them warm. This lasts for about two months. The largest group of shags lives in Spain. There are 2,500 pairs there.

The European shag is a medium-large seabird.

It is a type of cormorant. This bird is special because it is the only member of its own group, called Gulosus. Its scientific name comes from the Greek philosopher Aristotle. In Britain, people often call it simply the shag. It lives near rocky coasts in Europe and Asia. It also lives in North Africa. Most shags stay in these areas even during winter.

This bird is a very skilled diver. It hunts for food in the benthic zone. This means it looks for prey on the sea floor. To start a dive, the bird jumps out of the water. This jump gives it extra power to go down deep. Shags use the oxygen in their lungs and blood to breathe while underwater. They often dive for 20 to 45 seconds. After a dive, they rest for about 15 seconds. Their most common food is the sand eel.

Scientists have studied how these birds are related to others. For a long time, they were put in a group called Phalacrocorax. However, a study in 2014 changed this. The study showed they were very different from other birds. Now, they belong in their own group, Gulosus. Experts at the IOC accepted this new group in 2021. It is thought this group split away 9.0 to 11.2 million years ago.

There are three different types, or subspecies, of European shag. One lives in northwestern Europe near the Atlantic Ocean. Another lives near the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The third lives on the coast of northwest Africa. These birds can look a little different from each other. They might have different bill sizes or leg colors. In 2015, there were 18,000 pairs of shags in Britain. The biggest group lives in the Cíes Islands in Spain. That colony has 2,500 pairs of birds.

Shags build messy nests on rocky ledges or in small caves. They use seaweed and twigs to make them. They use their own guano to stick the nest together. A shag usually lays three eggs. The chicks hatch without any soft down feathers. They must stay with their parents for warmth. This lasts for about two months before they can fly. You might see them in many places like Ireland or Norway. They are easy to spot by their yellow throat patch.

The European shag, also known as the common shag, is a medium-large seabird.

It belongs to the cormorant family. This bird is unique because it is the only member of its own genus, Gulosus. The name Gulosus comes from the Latin word for glutton. The species name, aristotelis, honors the famous Greek philosopher Aristotle. Shags are important members of coastal ecosystems. They live near the rocky coasts of western and southern Europe. They also inhabit parts of southwest Asia and north Africa. Most birds stay within these breeding ranges during the winter.

Scientists have recently changed how we classify this bird. For a long time, shags were placed in the genus Phalacrocorax. However, a study in 2014 revealed they were quite different. Researchers found the shag was significantly more diverged than other groups. It is considered basal to the clade containing Nannopterum and Leucocarbo. This means it sits at a foundational branch of that group. Because of this, the bird was moved to its own genus, Gulosus. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) accepted this change in 2021. Scientists believe Gulosus split from other groups between 9.0 and 11.2 million years ago.

There are three recognized subspecies of the European shag. The first is G. a. aristotelis, which lives in northwestern Europe along Atlantic coasts. The second is G. a. desmarestii, found near the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The third is G. a. riggenbachi, located on the northwest African coast. These subspecies show slight differences in their bill size. They also differ in the color of the legs and breasts of young birds. Recent evidence suggests another group may exist. Birds on the southwest Atlantic coast of Europe might be a new, undescribed subspecies.

An adult European shag is a striking bird. It is black with a long tail and a wide wingspan. One of its most recognizable features is a yellow throat patch. During the breeding season, adults grow a small crest on their heads. Their feathers often have a metallic green-tinged sheen. This sheen is why some people call them "green cormorants." You can tell them apart from the great cormorant by several traits. Shags are smaller and have a lighter, narrower build. Their bills are also thinner. Additionally, a shag's tail has only 12 feathers, while a great cormorant has 14.

The European shag is a highly skilled pursuit-diving seabird. It is one of the deepest divers in the cormorant family. When it prepares to dive, the bird jumps out of the water first. This movement provides extra impetus to help it plunge downward. Shags are primarily benthic zone feeders. This means they hunt for prey on the sea bottom. They can travel many kilometers from their roosting sites to find food. Their most common prey is the sand eel.

Shags rely on aerobic diving to hunt effectively. This means they depend on oxygen stored in their lungs and bloodstream. In UK coastal waters, typical dives last between 20 and 45 seconds. Between these dives, the birds take a recovery period of about 15 seconds. Researchers have used depth gauges to record their diving habits. Studying their diet is a major area of scientific interest. This is because scientists can easily collect samples through regurgitated food or pellets. At the Isle of May in Scotland, researchers studied a colony from 1985 to 2014. They found that chick diets changed as the ocean warmed. Shags used to be sandeel specialists, but they now eat a more diverse range of prey.

Nesting and reproduction require great effort from the parents. Shags nest on rocky ledges, in crevices, or inside small caves. Their nests are untidy heaps made of twigs and rotting seaweed. They use their own guano, or bird droppings, to cement the nest together. The nesting season is quite long. It begins in late February, but some nests are not started until May or later. A female typically lays three eggs. The chicks hatch without any down feathers. Because they lack insulation, they rely entirely on their parents for warmth. This continues for about two months before they can fly. Fledging usually happens between early June and late August.

The European shag is widespread across many coastal regions. During the breeding season, from late April to mid-July, you can find them in many places. These include the Saltee Islands in Ireland and the Farne Islands in England. They are also found in Norway, Iceland, Denmark, and Croatia. In 2015, the British population was estimated at 18,000 pairs. The largest single colony is located in the Cíes Islands in Spain. This massive colony contains 2,500 pairs of birds. In April 2017, eight new shags were even recorded being born in Monaco.