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Species

European Shag

Gulosus aristotelis

The European Shag (Gulosus aristotelis, formerly kown as Phalacrocorax aristotelis) is a large black seabird in the cormorant family, found across Europea and North-Africa, and within Norway more or less along the entire coastline.

During the breeding season European shags can be distinguished from great cormorants (storskarv) by their "headpiece", black feathers that are standing upwards. The shag is also slimmer than the cormorant, and their feathers (as adults) have a more green shine to it, whereas cormorants are a bit more brown.

Also known as

  • Gulosus aristotelis (Scientific)
  • European Shag (English)
  • Toppskarv (Norwegian)

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Classification

  • Class: Aves (Birds)
  • Order: Suliformes
  • Family: Phalacrocoracidae (Cormorants)
  • Genus: Gulosus
  • Species: Gulosus aristotelis (European Shag)

Conservation status

Global: Least Concern (population decreasing)

Norway: Least Concern

Photos

European shag walking around with the skeleton of another european shag in its beak. He's walking right to left in the frame, and between grassy terrain.
European shag walking around with the skeleton of another european shag in its beak. He's walking right to left in the frame, and between grassy terrain.
Three common guillemots (uria aalge) posing in front of a white snowed in mountain, with more murres/guillemots flying in the background. It almost looks peaceful, except in the foreground a european shag (type of cormorant) is crash landing into the snow, in the most dramatic way possible.
Portrait of a young european shag, looking directly at the camera. Its body feathers still have a brown-ish color, the patch on the chin is white, and the beak is yellow and black.
Black and white close-up of a shag preening its feathers, looking backwards touching feathers on the back.

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