Black-faced shag
The black-faced cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscescens ), also known as the black-faced shag, is a medium-sized member of the cormorant family. Upperparts, including facial skin and bill, are black, with white underparts. It is endemic to coastal regions of southern Australia.
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Monogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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SocialFlocking birds are those that tend to gather to forage or travel collectively. Avian flocks are typically associated with migration. Flocking also ...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withLike other cormorant species, the black-faced cormorant is a large aquatic bird, with a long hooked bill, webbed feet, and monochromatic plumage. This is one of the largest cormorants found in south-western Australia and has pied plumage with the upper half of its body black and the undersides white. Its face is naked and black, hence the "black-faced" name, and the tail, feet, and thighs are also black. The back feathers are glossy, and its bill is dark grey with a prominent hook at the tip. It has blue-green eyes. When flying, it holds its head level or lower than its body and holds its wings in a cross-shape like most cormorants.
Species that are similar in appearance include the pied cormorant (slightly larger) and the little pied cormorant (slightly smaller).
Black-faced cormorants are endemic to the coastal regions of southern Australia and Tasmania. The population is estimated to in the tens of thousands, and is distributed across Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania, particularly in the Bass Straight and Spencer Gulf. There are two independent populations: one on the southern coast of Western Australia, and the other on the coasts of Southern Australia, Victoria and Tasmania.
Unlike the other cormorants found around the Australian continent, the habitat of the black-faced cormorant is exclusively coastal and marine. They can be found in coastal waters, inlets, rocky shores, and offshore islands. Occasionally black-faced cormorants can be found in estuaries of rivers. Colonies are usually found on steep cliffs and rocky islands where they nest. In the winter, black-faced cormorants leave coastal waters to breed in these colonies.
Because the black-faced cormorant is an exclusively marine bird, its behaviours enable it to be well-adapted to its environment. It uses pursuit-diving to capture fish, and nests high on cliffs to avoid predators.
The black-faced cormorant eats fish almost exclusively. Its diet generally consists of benthic or demersal fish, as well as some cephalopods, and varies between breeding and non-breeding seasons. It forages along the coast and at the mouths of rivers, and will dive up to 12 m to catch its prey. After diving, the black-faced cormorant will spread its wings to dry its feathers in the sun. Black-faced cormorants will occasionally forage together in flocks. While breeding, its preferred prey items are wrasse and silver trevally. After the breeding season, silverbelly, wrasse, whiting and hardyheads are consumed most frequently. Prey is consumed whole, and non-digestible parts are regurgitated in pellets.
Breeding cormorants nest in pairs or breeding colonies on islands or cliffs. They are likely monogamous like other cormorant species. Nesting sites are on bare rocks, often close to water, and are solidly built of driftwood, seaweed, and other plants with a 35–45 cm diameter. 2 to 3 elongated oval eggs are then laid. The eggs are pale blue-green and measure 58 x 36 mm.
The breeding season for black-faced cormorants varies between populations, and has been observed to occur anywhere from June to February. In the Bass Strait, the black-faced cormorant breeds from June to September, with a peak laying date around the end of July. The reason for this may be to avoid hot summer temperatures that can affect chicks. However, colonies in western and southern Australia breed later in the year, from September to February.
Black-faced cormorants are considered 'Least Concern' by the IUCN, due to their large range and populations. In Australia, they are considered 'Secure' federally as well as in South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania. However, in Victoria, the black-faced cormorant is considered 'Vulnerable'. Breeding colonies are very sensitive to human presences, so it is important that important breeding habitats are protected from disruption.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...