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The pied shag is mainly a coastal, sea fishing, bird, although it is found in estuaries and up rivers to some degree.
The pied cormorant appears to feed largely on benthic fish. It will dive both in shallow, still water and in rapidly moving currents.
It breeds in both in Australia and New Zealand but was first described from New Zealand, the specimens on which Latham based his account having been collected at Queen Charlotte Sound by Forster during Cook’s second voyage.
It is probably the pied shag that Sir Joseph Banks refers to in the following paragraph, the locality and date being, Mercury bay, 10th November, 1769; “The water was shoal so we agreed to stop our disquisition here and go ashore and dine. A tree in the neighborhood on which were many shag’s nests and old shags sitting by them confirmed our resolution. An attack was consequently made on the shags and about twenty were soon killed, and so soon broiled and eaten, everyone declaring that they were excellent food, as indeed I think they were.”
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| Taxonomy |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Pelecaniformes |
| Family: | Phalacrocoracidae |
| Genera: | Phalacrocorax |
| Species: | varius |
| Sub Species: | varius,
hypoleucos (Australia) |
| Other common names: — |
| Pied cormorant, yellow-faced cormorant. |
| Description: — |
| Native bird: |
| 81 cm., 2 kg., black above, face from above eye and all underparts white except for black thighs, long grey bill, eye-ring blue, feet black. |
| Where to find: — |
| Widespread, especially in the Bay of Islands, Hauraki Gulf, Coromandel and Marlborough.
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| Poetry: — |
The War of the Birds
Said the Shag of the green river to the Shag of the grey sea:
“Come now into the swamplands and eat my food with me.
The sea is cold and salty; it gives with grudging hand,
But sweet the fare and meet the fare that stirs up on the land.”
Then the Shag of the green river led the Shag of the grey sea
Where the toi-tois plume their heads, and eels slip lazily.
The sea-bird dived and caught an eel and ate with clucking note.
“Now bring it back,” the land-bird said. It glided up its throat.
The sea-Shag then was angry, as angry as could be.
He vowed a vengeance on the bird that mocked the shining sea.
He led him to the ocean and bade him dive therein.
The land-Shag, swooping, saw below a sharp and shining fin.
The sea-Shag watched him eat it, nodding a slow old head,
“And now, my doughty land-bird, just bring that back,” he said.
“Oh, easy!” said the boaster - in innocence he lied,
Its bitter fin-points pierced him, he gave one cry, and died.
And all his angry kinsfolk came wailing up the sky;
The air was black with pinions - a gale of birds flew by.
They fell upon the sea-birds, and battle was begun;
They darkened land and ocean; they blotted out the sun.
They died upon the water, they died upon the sand;
But others came in hosting from ocean and from land.
And who were there the victors there is not one that knows,
Except the secret waters, and the wise wind that blows.
But still at nights they tell it, in hushed and solemn words -
Wing fighting wing in tumult - the battle of the birds.
— Eileen Duggan
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| Credit for the photograph: — |
| Illustration description: — |
Gould, John, Birds of Australia, 1840-48.
Buller, Walter Lawry, Birds of New Zealand, 1888. |
| Reference(s): — |
Heather, B., & Robertson, H., Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand, 2000.
Oliver, W.R.B. New Zealand Birds, 1955. |
| Page date & version: — |
| Sunday, February 10, 2008; ver200506 |
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