Now here is a question that has stood the test of time amongst avid birdwatchers – cormorant or shag?
Two separate species from the same family – there’s no doubt that telling them apart from a distance is quite the feat. Both are expert fishers, floating along the surface until diving under the water. Once fed, they also both head to land to hang their wings out to dry, whilst letting their food digest. More confusingly, you will often find cormorants and shags sat together along the coast.
Despite having very similar behaviours, there are a few ways to tell these species apart, both from far away and on closer inspection. Just ask yourself these three questions:
Where did I see it?
The first point to mention is that, if you see one of them inland on rivers or lakes, it’s going to be a cormorant. Whilst you find this species both in land and along the coast, the shag is almost exclusively found at sea.
Did I see it flying?
The cormorant and the shag also have different body builds, especially when flying.
The far more prehistoric looking between the pair are the cormorants – broader, with thick necks and a dinosaur-like flight. That is, if you ever see one of these birds on the wing, pay close attention to the neck.
Cormorants fly with a distinctive kink in their necks, whilst shags fly with a long, straight and snake-like neck.
Shags also fly close to the water, unlike cormorants that can reach some height as they fly past.
The last thing to mention is that, when flying, the cormorants will expose a white thigh patch underneath their wing – but only seen during the breeding season. The shag in comparison has no white patches at all.
Did I get a good look at its face?
The biggest distinction between these two species lies in their faces, so have a look out for a few features.
Foreheads
The first, and most defining, is the forehead difference. Shags have a steep forehead which, in the breeding season, is accompanied by a large crest. The cormorant however has a flat forehead.
Different colouration
Next, the difference in yellow across the faces. You’ll notice that cormorants have yellow around their beak and eye, whereas shags only have a yellow gape instead – meaning the lower jaw area.
In adult cormorants, you will also find a white cheek patch, which is completely absent in adult shags.
The last colour difference to look out for are the eyes, which are usually the most difficult to spot at a distance. Whilst cormorants don a dark green eye, shags instead have a fantastic emerald coloured one.
Exceptions?
Juveniles. Just to confuse you even more, there are differences between adults and juveniles that you might mistake for being a certain species.
Juvenile shags for example, just like in this photo Ranger Richie took, have a white patch on their throats. Notice however, you can still tell it is a shag by looking at the steep forehead and absence of yellow around the eye.
You can often tell instantly if one of these species is an immature adult by looking at the colour of the plumage. Juveniles display a dark brown plumage instead of a black-green seen in an adult shag.
Juvenile cormorants also differ by having a white belly and brown back compared to the black plumage of an adult.
Needless to say, if you are struggling to identify the two, don’t panic. Birdwatchers, photographers and amateurs alike – we all struggle with the question ‘Cormorant or shag?’.
Find out more about cormorants and shags, and see what other coastal birds you can spot along the Solent.
