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European Shag

Phalacrocorax aristotelis

Photo by Saarbrigger
Published on Project Noah
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42.6133, 8.87415

Field Notes

Description:

About 40 cm in szize. We saw it diving very fast. I could not ID the pricies specie

Habitat:

near the beach

Reference Links:

European Shag

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (12)
Saarbrigger
Additional point: The bird was spotted in corsica. This is one of the areas where the "shag" is breeding.
Ashish
Saar...Hope you get more pictures...!!! I am not opposing...Cormorant...but its structure is give different look...may be that blue reflection on its throat caused different shape...I am confused..!!
Saarbrigger
Thank you for all the thoughts of you. I think the pecker/bill does not really fit to "Juv. Great Cormorant" (the sharp edge at the end og the bill). After all checking I think the closesd bird we found is the "European Shag" till now. I'm missing the yellow mark on my picture only.... By the way I found in internet that the "Shags" are a subspecies of "Cormorant" :-)
NicoleB
Nope. Actually, the more I look at that fellow and the more photos I compare, I think it's a Great Corm. - tending now to adult Non-breeding though. Shag: http://www.birdforum.net/opus/European_Shag Great Cormorant: http://www.birdforum.net/opus/Great_Cormorant If you sign up on that site, you can click the bottom to get to a bunch of more photos Check the head form, Ashish, it's much flatter at the Corm. than the Shag.
Ashish
Nicole...I feel.. Its different from Cormorant...shape of Head and neck. http://www.featurepics.com/online/European-Shag-Sea-1416012.aspx
NicoleB
Head and bill don't look right for either Great Cormorant nor Pygmy (adults) nor Shag (bill to slim). Comparing pics of Juveniles, it could be a Juv. Great Cormorant....
Ashish
May be.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Shag
Ashish
I felt neck (Head style) is not of Cormorant type..!!
Ashish
Wow...good info...Thanks for sharing...!! This will be learning lesson for me..!!
Saarbrigger
If you read the describtion on the different webpages about "Cormorant" on all of them you can find, that "Cormorant" a fishing close to the coast/beach in salt water too. Could be a "Phalacrocorax niger/Microcarbo niger"?
Ashish
Can be Anhinga... Cormorants mostly located in Fresh water lakes and rivers.

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Birds of the World

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Photographed
PublishedAugust 5, 2011

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