Shags nesting on a rock pillar at the Bullers of Buchan, Peterhead. Aberdeenshire, Grampian Region. Scotland. UK. SCO 11,118
Shags feed in the sea, and, unlike the great cormorant, is rare inland. It will winter along any coast that is well-supplied with fish. The European shag is one of the deepest divers among the cormorant family. Using depth gauges, European shags have been shown to dive to at least 45 m (148 ft). European shags are preponderantly benthic feeders, they find their prey on the sea bottom. They will eat a wide range of fish but their commonest prey is the sand eel. Shags will travel many kilometres from their roosting sites in order to feed. In UK coastal waters, dive times are typically around 20 to 45 seconds, with a recovery time of around 15 seconds between dives; this is consistent with aerobic diving, the bird depends on the oxygen in its lungs and dissolved in its bloodstream during the dive. When they dive, they jump out of the water first to give extra impetus to the dive. It breeds on coasts, nesting on rocky ledges or in crevices or small caves. The nests are untidy heaps of rotting seaweed or twigs cemented together by the bird's own guano. The nesting season is long, beginning in late February but some nests not started until May or even later. Three eggs are laid. Their chicks hatch without down and so they rely totally on their parents for warmth, often for a period of two months before they can fly. Fledging may occur at any time from early June to late August, exceptionally to mid-October.
Size: 6054px × 4041px
Location: Bullers of Buchan, Peterhead. Aberdeenshire, Grampian Region. Scotland.
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., 10, 100-200km, adults, birds, black, breed, breeding, characteristic, cliff, coastal, cormorants, crest, crustacea, dark, deep, develop, diving, dweller, eater, fish, forehead., front, generally, glossy, goose-sized, green, grounds., head., headland, large, list, long-necked, making, molluscs, north, occasionally, ornithology, phalacrocorax, plumage, population, prominent, recurved, red, resident, rocky, sea, seabird, season, shag, shags, similar, sites, slimmer, smaller, species., stay, steep, swimming, uk, west, year
