Fancy an in-flight shag?
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Jack Elam
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Think its a Cormorant It not got a tufty crest also colour look wrong should it not be darker and I not seen the sea this blue
Good shot of bird in flight was you on a boat?
Good shot of bird in flight was you on a boat?
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Not sure now as the second one look different the first one has a lighter patch below it beak
The way the ones in second pic are with wings half open says cormorant BUT I can’t see the lighter (white) patch under the beak. Still think it a cormorant
The way the ones in second pic are with wings half open says cormorant BUT I can’t see the lighter (white) patch under the beak. Still think it a cormorant
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Looking at the one in flight it looks like its bill is hooked that makes it a cormorant how about a crop of its bill
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Joe T
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Not at home now, so cant do a crop of the bill right now. Will try tomorrow.
The bill may not be conclusive. However, the shape of the head says shag over cormorant to me. Cormorant has a very gentle incline on the forehead, and these have much steeper foreheads than that - more like the shags in the books.
The bill may not be conclusive. However, the shape of the head says shag over cormorant to me. Cormorant has a very gentle incline on the forehead, and these have much steeper foreheads than that - more like the shags in the books.
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Nice pic 
I have a shag colony 2 minutes away from my house. Looks like a juvenile shag to me.
Just the general shape and lack of the large bare white skin patch on the cheeks that cormorants have.
Shags are about 3/4 the size of cormorants too but you can't tell that from the pic
I have a shag colony 2 minutes away from my house. Looks like a juvenile shag to me.
Just the general shape and lack of the large bare white skin patch on the cheeks that cormorants have.
Shags are about 3/4 the size of cormorants too but you can't tell that from the pic
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It really all depends on whether you fancy calling it a shag, or not
There is no consistent distinction between cormorants and shags. The names "cormorant" and "shag" were originally the common names of the two species of the family found in Great Britain, Phalacrocorax carbo (now referred to by ornithologists as the Great Cormorant) and P. aristotelis (the Common Shag). "Shag" refers to the bird's crest, which the British forms of the Great Cormorant lack. As other species were discovered by English-speaking sailors and explorers elsewhere in the world, some were called cormorants and some shags, depending on whether they had crests or not
There is no consistent distinction between cormorants and shags. The names "cormorant" and "shag" were originally the common names of the two species of the family found in Great Britain, Phalacrocorax carbo (now referred to by ornithologists as the Great Cormorant) and P. aristotelis (the Common Shag). "Shag" refers to the bird's crest, which the British forms of the Great Cormorant lack. As other species were discovered by English-speaking sailors and explorers elsewhere in the world, some were called cormorants and some shags, depending on whether they had crests or not
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I have to disagree that the only difference is the crest with our countries shag and cormorant.
The shag's small white patch near it's beak is mainly white feathers (in juveniles), the colouring of the whole bird has a different oily sheen, shags eyes are green, the bird is quite a bit smaller than the cormorant. Shags only have a really noticeable crest when at breeding age and in-season
Cormorants are bigger, have a large white patch on their face/neck which is actually bare skin, they have a large white patch on their hip under their wing and speckled almost glitter-like markings on their neck in summer plumage, they have turquoise eyes.
They are definitely two different species, the only difference is what countries around the world have chosen to name them.
I think thats the geekiest post i've ever typed on here :nuts:
The shag's small white patch near it's beak is mainly white feathers (in juveniles), the colouring of the whole bird has a different oily sheen, shags eyes are green, the bird is quite a bit smaller than the cormorant. Shags only have a really noticeable crest when at breeding age and in-season
Cormorants are bigger, have a large white patch on their face/neck which is actually bare skin, they have a large white patch on their hip under their wing and speckled almost glitter-like markings on their neck in summer plumage, they have turquoise eyes.
They are definitely two different species, the only difference is what countries around the world have chosen to name them.
I think thats the geekiest post i've ever typed on here :nuts:
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The perched birds look like shags to me. I'd be about 99% sure of that.
The flying bird is more tricky. If it was the same bird as the perched birds, I think you've got your answer....
The flying bird is more tricky. If it was the same bird as the perched birds, I think you've got your answer....
