Western Europe Birds & Birding (#23/52): From the Highland Willow Scrub of Scotland to the Aegean Islands within the Sea of Crete, Western Europe is house to over 800 resident, migratory and vagrant birds. From songbirds to gamebirds and from waterfowl to raptors, you could find birds just about in each nook and cranny of this lovely space. *All pictures showcased on this weblog collection have been taken and edited by me.
A Reflections of the Pure World Weblog Submit Collection by Jim Acquire
The European Shag is a powerful seabird with a penchant for diving, a putting look, and a widespread distribution alongside Europe’s coastlines.
Bodily Traits:
- Abilities: The European Shag is an adept fisher:
- Dimension: It measures round 70 to 90 centimeters in size.
- Coloration: Its plumage is predominantly darkish shiny green-black. In the course of the breeding season, adults exhibit a distinguished crest on their heads.
- Invoice: The invoice is lengthy and pointed, very best for capturing fish underwater.
- Legs and Ft: These are black and tailored for perching on rocky cliffs.
Weight loss program:
- Main Weight loss program: It primarily feeds on fish, particularly species like sand eels, herring, and sprats.
- Foraging Method: It dives into the water from cliffs or rocky ledges, pursuing its prey beneath the waves.
- Underwater Searching: With its streamlined physique, it could actually swim and hunt underwater with agility.
Abundance and Distribution:
Breeding Vary: European Shags breed alongside the coastlines of northern Europe, together with areas such because the British Isles, Scandinavia, and the Baltic Sea.
Wintering Areas: Throughout winter, they disperse extra extensively, reaching southern Europe and even venturing into the Mediterranean.
Habitat: They like rocky coastal cliffs, the place they construct their nests in crevices or on ledges.
Inhabitants Tendencies: The inhabitants measurement varies throughout completely different international locations.
- In France, there are roughly 7,300 to 7,500 breeding pairs.
- In Norway, the inhabitants stands at round 28,000 pairs.
- Iceland hosts 3,700 to three,800 breeding pairs.
- Russia has 900 to 1,100 pairs of the subspecies G. a. aristotelis.
- Spain harbors 2,000 to 2,100 pairs.
- Italy experiences 1,500 to 2,100 pairs.
- Portugal has a smaller inhabitants of 100 to 150 pairs.
- Different international locations additionally contribute to the general European Shag inhabitants.
IUCN Pink Listing Standing:
The European Shag’s conservation standing is assessed by the IUCN Pink Listing. As of now, it falls into the class of Least Concern. Nevertheless, it’s important to observe its populations on account of potential threats comparable to habitat degradation, air pollution, and disturbance.
For extra info, you’ll be able to discover the IUCN Pink Listing and be taught concerning the conservation standing of varied species.
EUROPEAN SHAG WAS LIFER #818
European Shag 08 Oct 2022 Bass Rock Boat Journey | GB-SCT
BANDED BIRDS: Two of the Shags have been banded and I obtained this response from Mark Newell on the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.
