As kids we only knew there were a black and black & white shags

and the latter were a pest to all anglers and moored boat owners

with their habit of stealing and spooking fish,then leaving a large

deposit on any moored boat they roosted on.

This led to culling and I believe even a bounty on their heads.

Today we are more tolerant but they are extremely vunerable

to large oil spills.

There are four species abundant in this area and all nest on nearby

islands or wetlands with red gums.

BLACK-FACED CORMORANT Leucocarbo fuscescens

The black face of this ''shag''makes identification easy although it

has the same plumage and size (65cm) as the Pied cormorant.

PIED CORMORANT Phalacrocorax varius

Similar size and colour to the Black-faced cormorant,

but has a distinct yellow face

A Pied cormorant shares a rock with 2 Black-faced cormorants,

showing the distinguishing facial features of the 2 species.

LITTLE BLACK-CORMORANT Phalacrocorax sulirostris

The name says it all,similar size to the Little pied-cormorant.

Often hunts fish in groups using teamwork

LITTLE PIED-CORMORANT Phalacrocorax melanoleucos

Similar in colour to the Pied cormorant,but much smaller

and without the yellow face. size ( 50 - 55cm )

Little black and Little pied-cormorants jostling for a spot amongst the Silver gulls.

Note the size in comparison to the gulls.