Spotted Shag
Phalacrocorax punctatus
- Class
- Bird
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 2,624
- Most observed in
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
The spotted shag or pārekareka (Phalacrocorax punctatus) is a species of cormorant endemic to New Zealand. Though originally classified as Phalacrocorax punctatus, it is sufficiently different in appearance from typical members of that genus that for a time it was placed in a separate genus, Stictocarbo, along with a similar species, the Pitt shag. Subsequent genetic studies show that the spotted shag's lineage is nested within the typical shags.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Spotted shag”.