Pitt shag | |
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A Pitt shag at Pitt Island | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Suliformes |
Family: | Phalacrocoracidae |
Genus: | Phalacrocorax |
Species: | P. featherstoni |
Binomial name | |
Phalacrocorax featherstoni Buller, 1873 | |
Approximate distribution Range (Chatham Islands, New Zealand, Oceania) | |
Synonyms | |
Stictocarbo featherstoni |
The Pitt shag (Phalacrocorax featherstoni), also known as the Pitt Island shag or Featherstone's shag, is a species of bird in the family Phalacrocoracidae. It is endemic to Pitt Island where its natural habitats are open seas and rocky shores. The bird with the color of a dark body, gray chest, yellow eyes and feet can be found in small groups in their breeding habitat or alone within 18 km from their territory searching for food. The species was close to extinction in 1905 but actions of conservation have been done ever since. The Pitt shag is threatened by habitat loss due to predation and climate change causing a decline from 1997 to 2012, but there is a recovery plan by the Department of Conservation.
Members of the shag family belong to three groups, based on the color of their feet: black, yellow or pink. Outside New Zealand, the black-footed shags are better known as cormorants. The Pitt shag belongs to the yellow footed group. They are about 63 cm in length and weigh 650–1300 g, with a slim build. The Pitt shag has a yellow colored detail around the eyes, light gray at the neck and chest, and the rest of the head, back, wings and tail with shades of black and navy. [2]
From the Spotted shag (Phalacrocorax punctatus), the Pitt shag became a subspecies. [2] This representative of the shags in the Chatham Group was discovered by H.H. Travers in 1871. Buller dedicated the species to Dr Featherston, superintendent of the Province of Wellington at that time. [3] The Spotted shag and the Pitt shag have been determined as a part of the Phalacrocorax genus considering a DNA study. [4]
Vocalization
When apart from the group the Pitt shag is quiet, but during mating season males make noises of grunting, gargling and ticking while females remain silent. [2]
Diet
Shags find food on their own, traveling up to 18 km from their territory to feed on mostly small fish and when possible snails, worms and crustaceans found flying over waters and shores. [5]
Breeding
From August to December, 2 to 3 year old Pitt shags gather in small crowds on the rocky shores and cliffs of the coast, protecting themselves against predators and weather. With up to 40 pairs of birds, nests are created out of small branches, plants and seaweed, and are eventually found with about 2 to 4 pale bluish-white colored eggs. Parents take turns incubating the eggs for about 30 days, once hatched a single parent will stay with the chicks for two weeks, then both parents will search and feed their chicks until they fledge at around 6 to 8 weeks. [4]
The Pitt shag is native to the Chatham Islands in New Zealand, islands such as the Chatham, Pitt, Rangatira, Mangere, Little Mangere, Western Reef, Pyramid, Sisters, Murumuru, Castle, Rabbit, Forty Fours and Star Keys. [5] On an island the bird is located along the coast, on rocky islets and over nearby waters where breeding and foraging takes place such as the Te Whanga Lagoon. [4]
Apparently never a common species, it was reported as nearly extinct in 1905. The Department of Conservation does have a recovery plan for this bird.
Threat
The Pitt shag is claimed endangered [6] due to its loss of breeding habitat and rapidly declining, small population. Studies show a record of 729 pairs found from 1997 to 1998, 547 pairs from 2003 to 2004, and 434 pairs from 2011 to 2012. [5] With nests planted along coastal cliffs predators are not much of a concern, although Feral Cats, Black Rats, Brown Rats, Common Brushtail Possum and Weka are known to be possible threats. The threat of human activity is more evident as it causes climate change, leading to changes in their environment and resources. These activities include introduction of predators, bycatch in the fishing industry, bird hunting, and crayfish pots. [5]
Recovery plan
Conservation actions done specifically for the Pitt shag are not very apparent, although other works on the Chatham Islands have been done such as withdrawing sheep and cattle from the South East and Mangere Islands in 1961 and 1968, and fencing coastal habitats to avoid possible interference. Actions that are being considered are measuring the whole adult population with intervals of 10 years starting from the year a plan is created, and in each year study the pattern of two communities. Other plans include analyzing the effect of rock lobster fishing, additional fencing, continuous studying of the breeding and foraging of the bird, and withdrawing feral cats, Wekas, sheep, cattle and pigs concerning Pitt and Chatham Islands. [5]
The great cormorant, known as the black shag or kawau in New Zealand, formerly also known as the great black cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the black cormorant in Australia, and the large cormorant in India, is a widespread member of the cormorant family of seabirds. The genus name is Latinised Ancient Greek, from φαλακρός and κόραξ, and carbo is Latin for "charcoal".
The European shag or common shag is a species of cormorant. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Gulosus. It breeds around the rocky coasts of western and southern Europe, southwest Asia and north Africa, mainly wintering in its breeding range except for the northernmost birds. In Britain this seabird is usually referred to as simply the shag. The scientific genus name derives from the Latin for glutton. The species name aristotelis commemorates the Greek philosopher Aristotle.
The Australian pied cormorant, also known as the pied cormorant, pied shag, or great pied cormorant, is a medium-sized member of the cormorant family. It is found around the coasts of Australasia. In New Zealand, it is usually known either as the pied shag or by its Māori name of kāruhiruhi. Older sources may refer to it as the "yellow-faced cormorant".
The weka, also known as the Māori hen or woodhen is a flightless bird species of the rail family. It is endemic to New Zealand. It is the only extant member of the genus Gallirallus. Four subspecies are recognized but only two (northern/southern) are supported by genetic evidence.
The spotted shag or pārekareka is a species of cormorant endemic to New Zealand. Though originally classified as Phalacrocorax punctatus, it is sufficiently different in appearance from typical members of that genus that for a time it was placed in a separate genus, Stictocarbo, along with a similar species, the Pitt shag. Subsequent genetic studies show that the spotted shag's lineage is nested within the typical shags.
The magenta petrel, or Chatham Island tāiko, is a small seabird in the gadfly petrel genus, Pterodroma. Found exclusively on Chatham Island, New Zealand, it is one of the rarest birds in the world, believed to be extinct for over 100 years before its rediscovery in the 1970s.
The black robin or Chatham Island robin is an endangered bird from the Chatham Islands off the east coast of New Zealand. It is closely related to the South Island robin. It was first described by Walter Buller in 1872. The binomial commemorates the New Zealand botanist Henry H. Travers (1844–1928). Unlike its mainland counterparts, its flight capacity is somewhat reduced. Evolution in the absence of mammalian predators made it vulnerable to introduced species, such as cats and rats, and it became extinct on the main island of the Chatham group before 1871, being restricted to Little Mangere Island thereafter.
The Chatham oystercatcher or Chatham Island oystercatcher is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading bird endemic to the Chatham Islands, New Zealand. This species is rated by the IUCN as endangered, and has a current population of 310 to 325 birds. The main threat is from introduced predators.
The Chatham petrel or ranguru (Maori) is a medium-sized, grey, white and black gadfly petrel. It only breeds on the Chatham Islands, New Zealand, and until recently was restricted to the 218-hectare Rangatira or South-East Island.
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The Chatham parakeet, also known as Forbes' parakeet, is a rare parakeet endemic to the Chatham Islands group, New Zealand. This parakeet is one of New Zealand's rarest birds and is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, as a result of a range of threats to the species survival, including habitat loss, predation, and hybridization. A number of conservation methods have been employed to assist the recovery of this species, and currently the population trend is considered stable.
The Chatham snipe or Chatham Island snipe is a species of wader in the family Scolopacidae. It is endemic to the Chatham Islands of New Zealand, and is only found on a few islands in the south of the Chatham Islands group.
The Chatham rail is an extinct flightless species of bird in the family Rallidae. It was endemic to Chatham, Mangere and Pitt Islands, in the Chatham archipelago of New Zealand. The Chatham rail was first discovered on Mangere in 1871, and 26 specimens collected there are known from museum collections. Its Māori name was "mātirakahu".
The Chatham gerygone or Chatham Island warbler is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae. It is endemic to the Chatham Islands. The Chatham Island warbler is larger than and differs in plumage from the related grey warbler of mainland New Zealand. Both warblers were discovered and named by G. R. Gray in 1845. The grey and Chatham Island warblers are the only two members of the Australasian family Acanthizidae found in New Zealand.
The red-legged cormorant, also known as the red-legged shag, red-footed cormorant, red-footed shag, Gaimard's cormorant and grey cormorant, is a species of cormorant resident to the coastline of South America. It is the only member of the genus Poikilocarbo. It is non-colonial unlike most seabirds. The red-legged cormorant has not been observed wing-spreading, which is unusual among cormorant species.
The Chatham shag, also known as the Chatham Island shag, is a species of bird in the cormorant and shag family, Phalacrocoracidae. It is endemic to the Chatham Islands of New Zealand. For a long time the species was placed in the genus Phalacrocorax; today it is mostly placed with the other blue-eyed shags of New Zealand and Antarctica in the genus Leucocarbo. Its closest relative is the Otago shag of South Island.
The Bounty shag, also known as the Bounty Island shag, is a species of cormorant of the family Phalacrocoracidae. They are found only on the tiny and remote Subantarctic Bounty Islands, 670 km (420 mi) southeast of New Zealand. Its natural habitats are open seas and rocky shores. In 2022, a full Unmanned aerial vehicle survey of the Bounty archipelago found a total of 573 breeding pairs and estimates the population to consist of approximately 1,733 birds. These recent estimates are consistent with the only other comparable study from 1978 and suggest that the species' population has remained stable over the past 45 years.
The Macquarie shag, Macquarie Island shag or Macquarie Island cormorant, is a marine cormorant native to Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean, about halfway between Australia and Antarctica.
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