European Shag

Phalacrocorax aristotelis

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. Source

Where it is now

In the last 8 weeks this bird was recorded 871 times across 18 areas (each area is a 5 degree square).

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Movement and weather

Over the weeks it was present in the past year, its centre in Europe ranged from 57°N in October to 72°N in June, about 1,700 km apart.

Arrival dates

The week it was first heard regularly in each region, after at least six weeks away. Dates differ from south to north, so a region has a range.

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Figures are effort corrected and come from automatic sound identification, which makes mistakes. How this is measured and how it compares with human observers.