Little Pied Cormorant
Microcarbo melanoleucos
Conservation Status
Least ConcernAves · Suliformes · Phalacrocoracidae
About
The little pied cormorant, little shag or kawaupaka is a common species of Australasian waterbird, found around the coasts, islands, estuaries, and inland waters of Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Timor-Leste and Indonesia, and around the islands of the south-western Pacific and the subantarctic. It is a small short-billed cormorant usually black above and white below with a yellow bill and small crest, although a mostly black white-throated form predominates in New Zealand. Three subspecies are recognised. Until recently, most authorities referred to this species as Phalacrocorax melanoleucos.
Fun Fact
It takes a variety of fish prey but an unusually high proportion (nearly 30% by weight on average, and up to 80% in some individuals) of crustaceans.
Quick Facts
Habitat
Range includes Sulawesi, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Maluku Islands, and Western New Guinea, with non-breeding birds recorded in Java, Bali, and once off the coast of East Kalimantan.
Diet
Prey on the sea floor.
Lifespan
To be updated
Threats
- Habitat Change
- Human Disturbance