|
King shags are Falkland common residents, Falklands 'King Shag' where they breed in crowded level cliff-top colonies, often alongside Rockhopper penguins, Black-browed albatross or Gentoo penguins. Length: 72cm (28 inches). They are easily separated from Rock Shags by their white chin extending to the breast, and blue eye-ring. King shags favour open waters, going further offshore than rock shags to around 12 km in the summer and 37 km from June to October, (White) where they forage in small flocks. Diet is fish and crustaceans by shallow diving, small fish generally being taken for chick-rearing.
P atriceps albiventer is restricted to the Falkland Islands. Other distinctive races of Phalacrocorax atriceps have a circumpolar range and are found on southern coasts of Chile and Argentina from around 40°S, through Tierra del Fuego tas far south as South Georgia, South Shetlands and other sub Antarctic islands to around 65°S.
|
Sources include: Falkland Islands State of the Environment Report 2008 Otley H, Munro G, Clausen A, Ingham B. A Field Guide to the Wildlife of The Falkland Islands and South Georgia - Ian J Strange, Guide to Birds of the Falkland Islands- Robin W. Woods.
Photographic credits: page header Ordrej Prosicky/Shutterstock.com, Jeremy Richards/Shutterstock.com, Robert Maddocks
Photographs and Images Copyright: The images on this site have been bought under licence or have been used with the permission of their owners. They may not be copied or downloaded in any form without their owner's consent.
|