The little black cormorant (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris) is a member of

the cormorant family of seabirds. It is common in smaller rivers and lakes

throughout most areas of Australia and northern New Zealand, where it is
known as the little black shag. It is around sixty centimetres long, and is
all black with blue-green eyes.
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Taxonomy[edit]
The little black cormorant was originally described by Johann Friedrich von
Brandt in 1837. Its specific epithet is derived from
the Latin words sulcus"groove", and rostrum "bill". The common name in
New Zealand is the little black shag.[2]

Description[edit]
The little black cormorant is a small cormorant measuring 60–65 cm (23.5–
25.5 in) with all black plumage. The back has a greenish sheen.[3] In
breeding season, white feathers appear irregularly about the head and
neck, with a whitish eyebrow evident. The plumage is a more fade brown
afterwards.[4]Males and females are identical in plumage. The long slender
bill is grey,[2] and legs and feet black. The iris of the adult is green and the
juvenile brown. Immature birds have brown and black plumage.[4]

Distribution and habitat[edit]

The little black cormorant ranges from the Malay Peninsula through
Indonesia (but excluding Sumatra) and New Guinea (including
the D'Entrecasteaux Islands) and throughout Australia.[5] It is found in New
Zealand's North Island.[2] It is a predominantly freshwater species, found in
bodies of water inland and occasionally sheltered coastal areas. It is almost
always encountered in or near water.[3]

Feeding[edit]
The little black cormorant feeds mainly on fish, and eats a higher proportion
of fish than the frequently co-occurring little pied cormorant, which eats
more decapods. A field study at two storage lakes, Lake Cargelligo and
Lake Brewster, in south-western New South Wales found that the
introduced common carp made up over half of its food intake.[6]

Behaviour[edit]
More gregarious than other cormorants, the little black cormorant can be
found in large flocks. Groups sometimes fly in V formations.[3]

Breeding[edit]
Breeding occurs once a year in spring or autumn in southern Australia, and
before or after the monsoon in tropical regions. The nest is a small platform
built of dried branches and sticks in the forks of trees that are standing in
water. Nests are often located near other waterbirds such as other
cormorants, herons, ibis, or spoonbills. Three to five (rarely six or seven)
pale blue oval eggs measuring 48 x 32 mm are laid. The eggs are covered
with a thin layer of lime, giving them a matte white coated appearance.
They become increasingly stained with faeces, as does the nest, over the
duration of the breeding season.[7]

Various views and plumages[edit]

•
•

Adult in East Perth

 
•
 Manly (near Sydney)

 
•

Shoalhaven River

 
•

Pair in flight

References[edit]
1. ^ BirdLife International (2012). "Phalacrocorax sulcirostris". IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of
Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
2. ^ Jump up to:
a b c Falla, Robert Alexander; Sibson, Richard Broadley; Turbott, Evan

Graham (1972) [1966]. The New Guide to the Birds of New Zealand. Collins.
p. 67. ISBN 0-00-212022-4.
3. ^ Jump up to:
a b c "Little Black Cormorant". Australian Museum - Birds in Backyards.

Retrieved 2 August 2012.
4. ^ Jump up to:
a b Slater, Peter (1970). A Field Guide to Australian Birds:Non-passerines.

Adelaide: Rigby. pp. 207–08. ISBN 0-85179-102-6.

5. ^ Sibley, Charles Gald; Monroe, Burt Leavelle (1990). Distribution and
Taxonomy of Birds of the World. Yale University Press.
p. 300. ISBN 0300049692. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
6. ^ Miller, B. (1979). "Ecology of the Little Black Cormorant, Phalacrocorax
sulcirostris, and Little Pied Cormorant, P. Melanoleucos, in Inland New South
Wales I. Food and Feeding Habits". Wildlife Research. 6: 79–95. doi:
10.1071/WR9790079.
7. ^ Beruldsen, Gordon (2003). Australian Birds: Their Nests and Eggs.
Kenmore Hills, Qld: self. p. 191. ISBN 0-646-42798-9.