Little Pied Cormorant Microcarbo melanoleucos Scientific name definitions

55–65 cm; 567–963 g (nominate), 413–877 g (brevirostris); wingspan 84–91 cm. Long-tailed small cormorant with short thick bill; the only small cormorant with pied adult plumage. Breeding adult has black cap, hindneck, upperparts, upper flanks and sometimes part of thighs; tail greyish black; mantle, scapulars and wings blackish grey, each feather (except remiges and primary-coverts) with narrow blacker fringe, hardly noticeable on greater coverts; underwing blackish, remiges and all greater coverts with greyer sheen; sides of head white from forehead to nape and throat, rest of underparts white except black undertail-coverts, and white can be noticeably stained rich buff to rufescent; head feathers noticeably elongated in breeding condition, forming loose crest on forecrown and rather shaggy nape; in non-breeding period head feathers much shorter and dark feathers appear slightly browner; iris blackish grey; facial skin dusky olive to blackish on lores, eyering and gape, skin at base of mandible and gular pouch blackish olive to olive-green but soon becomes yellower in non-breeding period; bill orange-yellow, culmen ridge blackish, lower ridge of mandible blackish olive to olive-green but soon turns yolk-yellow; legs black. Sexes similar, male averages larger. Juvenile has slightest hint of crest on forecrown, remiges and rectrices pointed, dark areas dark brown rather than black, white areas often duller, brownish white , dark brown of head may reach gape, superciliary mostly dark brown or has whitish markings admixed, feathers of mantle to wing-coverts with slight grey to greenish sheen and duller dark fringes and narrow paler brown tips, facial skin dull yellowish with blackish line across lores linking eye with base of maxilla, bill similar to that of non-breeding adult, at first duller flesh, but has dark spot near tip of mandible, legs blackish brown; subsequent plumage has dark areas more blackish, less brown, each feather of mantle to wing-coverts with black fringes and thin whitish tip, underparts whiter, bill and gular pouch brighter orangey. Races reportedly differ in measurements; <em>brevicauda</em> much like nominate and is polymorphic, with typical pied , white-throated and all-dark morphs, the white-throated morph may have white pattern on head like that of typical morph, but white often extends to foreneck, in others more restricted, hardly reaching eye, or even restricted to anterior throat, while some intermediate adults have abdomen variably blotched white and black, pied juveniles develop into pied adults and dark juveniles become all-dark or ‘white-throated’ adults. Pied adults unmistakable; dark birds of brevirostris recall other small long-tailed cormorants, but upperparts pattern usually less noticeable, looking all black above at any distance, bill notably thick; colour of iris and facial skin also helps.

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Bred on Campbell I (off S New Zealand) in 1960s; despite geographical remoteness, birds were considered probably to be of nominate melanoleucos (1 Kinsky, F.C. (1969). New and rare birds of Campbell Island. Notornis 16(4): 225–236. Close ) rather than brevirostris, which is known only as a vagrant (2 Gill, B. J., B. D. Bell, G. K. Chambers, D. G. Medway, R. L. Palma, R. P. Scofield, A. J. D. Tennyson, and T. H. Worthy (2010). Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica. 4th edition. Ornithological Society of New Zealand & Te Papa Press, Wellington, New Zealand. Close ).

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SUBSPECIES

Microcarbo melanoleucos melanoleucos Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Wallacea E to lowland New Guinea and satellites, Solomon Is (except Rennell) and New Caledonia; Australia and Tasmania; non-breeders recorded in Java and Bali.

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SUBSPECIES

Microcarbo melanoleucos brevicauda Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Rennell I, in S Solomons.

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SUBSPECIES

Microcarbo melanoleucos brevirostris Scientific name definitions

Distribution

New Zealand, including Stewart I.

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Very adaptable, although prefers fresh water, frequenting swamps, lakes, pools, rivers, temporary flood waters, artificial impoundments; even in cities, on ornamental ponds. Also in coastal waters, including lagoons, estuaries, mangrove swamps, sheltered harbours, saltpans and offshore islands. Usually requires trees or bushes near or over water for breeding  . On large waterbodies, tends to fish along shallow margins.

Basically sedentary, with extensive juvenile dispersal. Also moves in response to local water conditions on inland waters; more frequently on coast during severe droughts. Partially nomadic in interior of Australia.

Variety of fish and invertebrates  , including freshwater crayfish, shrimps, prawns and aquatic insects; small quantities of frogs and tadpoles. Invertebrates, especially crustaceans, often important, e.g. in N Australia decapod crustacea, hemipterans, larvae of odonatans and other invertebrates constitute > 50% of prey items, and 35% of dry weight; elsewhere even more important. Claws shaken off crayfish prior to consumption. In Australia, exotic fish species frequently form significant part of diet, especially carp (Carassius auratus) and perch (Perca fluviatilis). Feeds mainly by pursuit-diving. Generally feeds alone and, if flocks gather, birds do not tend to fish co-operatively.

Usually silent away from breeding colonies. Calls at nest include bi-syllabic or tri-syllabic cooing sounds of male during courtship displays. A greeting call, consisting of a fading series of mellow notes “uh..uh..uh..uh”, is used by both sexes when approaching the nest to change over or to bring food. Young in nest beg incessantly uttering rasping screams “chree.....chree....chree....”.

Season irregular, depending on local water conditions; possibly year-round; peak in Oct/Nov in places. Generally forms small colonies  , often in company of other waterbirds, including other cormorants, darters, herons, etc. Nests on trees or bushes, occasionally on rocks; stick nest lined with leaves and grass. Usually 3–5 eggs  , especially four (1–7); chicks naked, grow black down . Breeding at a new colony at Wellington, New Zealand, extended from Aug to Mar, with a successful breeding cycle taking c. 11 weeks (courtship and nest-building one week, incubation four weeks, chick rearing six weeks). Breeding success was high, with 79% of nesting attempts resulting in young leaving the nest. However, productivity of successful nesting attempts differed significantly between two seasons studied; 1·5 young per nest in 1997/98 and 2·1 in 1998/99 (3 Powlesland, R.G. and Luke, I.J. (2000). Breeding biology of little shags (Phalacrocorax melanoleucos) at Lindale, Wellington. Notornis. 47(1): 1–5. Close ).

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Widespread in Australia, with hundreds of colonies. New Zealand population estimated at 10,000–50,000 in early 1980s. Has suffered with destruction and alteration of wetlands; effects only partially offset by widespread colonization of reservoirs. In New South Wales, feeds extensively on introduced fish species, and campaigns to remove such fish could have negative effects on species. A partial census of Papua New Guinea in Jan 1990 found 1121 birds.