Bronze Shag
Leucocarbo chalconotus
Silhouette: Juan Carlos Jerí · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderSuliformes (Gannets, Cormorants, and Allies)
- FamilyPhalacrocoracidae (Cormorants and Shags)
- GenusLeucocarbo (Blue-eyed Shags and allies)
- SpeciesLeucocarbo chalconotus (Bronze Shag)
About the Bronze Shag
The Stewart Island shag (Leucocarbo chalconotus; Māori: matapo) is a species of shag found on New Zealand's South Island and Stewart Island. The Stewart Island shag has sometimes been split into two species, the Foveaux shag and the Otago shag.
The Stewart Island shag was formally described and illustrated in 1845 by the English zoologist George Gray based on a specimen collected by Percy Earl in the Otago region of New Zealand's South Island. Gray placed the new species in the genus Gracalus and coined the binomial name Gracalus chalconotus. The specific epithet is from Ancient Greek χαλκονωτος/khalkonōtos meaning "bronze-backed". The Stewart Island shag is now one of the 15 shags placed in the genus Leucocarbo, which was introduced in 1856 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte.
Two subspecies are recognised: L. c. chalconotus (Gray, GR, 1845) – east South Island (New Zealand) L. c. stewarti (Ogilvie-Grant, 1898) – south South Island and Stewart Island (New Zealand) The Stewart Island shag has sometimes been split into two species with the subspecies L. c. chalconotus known as the Otago shag and the subspecies L. c. stewarti known as the Foveaux shag. The... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Bronze Shag in Rakiura National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Rakiura National Park
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Bronze Shag in Rakiura National Park?
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Bronze Shag sighting in Rakiura National Park, based on 694 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Bronze Shag in Rakiura National Park?
June has the highest sighting rate for Bronze Shag in Rakiura National Park in our monthly data.