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European Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis)

The European Shag is, as its name implies, a speciality of Europe, occurring only in the eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. It has a more restricted habitat than the Great Cormorant, being confined to marine waters when breeding and hardly ever occurring inland at any time. Its nests are often sited in caves and other sheltered sites and, unlike Great Cormorant nests, may sometimes be found among boulders.

Although the European Shag feeds on fish like the Great Cormorant, it is separated ecologically from its larger relative. Its foraging is not concentrated on the seabed, but ranges much more widely, encompassing both lower and mid levels. It takes fewer flatfish than the Great Cormorant, and a higher proportion of smaller fish such as sand-eels and blennies; it also takes some invertebrates such as shrimps.

The Shag has the longest breeding season of any European seabird. In Britain, for example, young may be seen at colonies any time between April and October, and in the Mediterranean breeding may begin before the turn of the year. In nuptial plumage European Shags have wispy crests, and recent research has shown that the larger the crest (in either sex), the greater the breeding success. It seems, then, that in Shags, crests are an indicator of fitness and health.