Little Pied Cormorant

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

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.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

1. 01

   White on face extends above eye

   Dividing line between black cap and white face is located well above the eye.

2. 02

   Sharply defined black-and-white plumage

   Glossy black upperparts, head, and neck sharply contrast with pure white throat, chest, and belly.

3. 03

   Short, stubby, bright yellow bill

   Bill is noticeably short and stout. Often extends to bare skin around the eye, sometimes with a dusky line along the culmen.

4. 04

   Small head crest

   A small tuft of black feathers on the nape, sometimes not obvious.