South Georgia Shag

South Georgia shag
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Branch	Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vertebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Aves
Sub-class	Neornithes
Order Information
Order	Suliformes
Family Information
Family	Phalacrocoracidae
Genus Information
Genus	Leucocarbo
Species Information
Species	L. georgianus
Synonyms	Phalacrocorax georgianus
Population statistics

The South Georgia shag (Leucocarbo georgianus) is a species of cormorant of the family Phalacrocoracidae, and native to several sub-Antarctica islands in the south Atlantic Ocean. One of the 12 species of "blue-eyed" shags - so-called due to a distinctive blue ring of skin around each eye - it is considered by some authorities to be a subspecies of the imperial shag (Leucocarbo atriceps), despite an uncertain classification^[1].

Description[edit]

The South Georgia shag is medium-sized, about 29.5 inches in length. Males are larger than females. The undersides are white from the chin and throat to the lower belly. Upper plumage is black with a slight bluish or green-bronze tinge, and a single white horizontal bar on the upper wing coverts. A slight tuft of feathers on the head gives it a crest; a small mass of yellow-orange, warty caruncles at the base of the upper beak and the blue eye ring are the only other colors.

Range and habitat[edit]

The South Georgia shag is found in the south Atlantic Ocean at the islands of South Georgia, the South Sandwich archipelago, South Orkney, and Shag Rocks. It is found on cliff faces, rocky areas, and tussock grass slopes. An inshore feeder, it is never more than a few miles away from these islands

References[edit]