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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Like all cormorants, the Rock Shag feeds by diving for underwater prey. It feeds close to shore, often diving at the edge of kelp beds and apparently finding small fish (predominantly cod icefishes, Patagonothen sp.) sheltering among the weed. Studies with depth gauges suggest that it is a fairly shallow diver, typically going about 5m below the surface with few individuals ever diving deeper than 10m, although its prey mainly come from the sea floor. Dive times are typically around 30 seconds. Its breeding range overlaps markedly with that of the Imperial Shag Leucocarbo atriceps, but the two species' foraging ranges are different since the Imperial Shag tends to dive in deeper water, further out from shore.
The Rock Shag usually nests on ledges on steep, bare, rocky cliffs. It normally lays 3 eggs, though nests of from 2 to 5 eggs have been seen. Nesting colonies range is size from 5 pairs to nearly 400.
Like a number of other species of cormorant that are commonly called shags, the Rock Shag is placed by some authors in a genus Leucocarbo. Cladistic analysis suggests that it is related to other cliff-nesting species such as the Red-footed Shag, Pelagic cormorant and Red-faced Shag.
Information source
IUCN
Other Rock Shag or Magellanic cormorant
Personal Wew
This photo is taken in Punta Loma, Chubut, Patagonia, Argentina. Original format. |
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