Moor shag

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Moor shag
Moorish shag in plain dress (Laem Pak Bia, Phetchaburi, Thailand)

Moorish shag in plain dress (Laem Pak Bia, Phetchaburi , Thailand )

Systematics
Sub-stem : Vertebrates (vertebrata)
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Suliformes
Family : Cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae)
Genre : Microcarbo
Type : Moor shag
Scientific name
Microcarbo niger
( Vieillot , 1817)

The Mohrenscharbe ( Microcarbo niger , Syn . : Phalacrocorax niger ) is a bird of the cormorant family . It is one of the smallest species of cormorant and is widespread in the South Asian region. The IUCN currently lists the Mohrenscharbe as safe ( least concern ).

description

Breeding plumage (Vasai, Maharashtra , India)

The carrot is 51–56 cm long and weighs 360–525 g. It is thus a little smaller than the brown-cheeked shag ( Phalacrocorax fuscicollis ) that occurs in similar areas , but has a less steep forehead and a shorter and thicker beak than this. The wingspan of the black shag is about 90 cm.

In the breeding plumage, the adult birds have glittering black plumage with a few white feathers on the head and neck. The iris and the featherless areas of skin around the beak and eye are dark in color. In non-breeding birds and juveniles, the plumage is generally a bit browner and the featherless skin areas are also a bit lighter. A more or less noticeable white spot is visible on the throat of these birds.

The sexual dimorphism is weak and hardly recognizable in field ornithological terms. Males tend to be slightly larger than females. On the western edge of the distribution area in Pakistan, the very similar dwarf shag ( Microcarbo pygmaeus ) can also occur as an exceptional guest , which is difficult to distinguish from the black shag .

distribution

The black shag occurs in suitable habitats in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the lowlands of Nepal. The bird species can also be found in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. On the Indonesian islands the species occurs east to Java. The species does not occur in the high altitudes of the Himalayas , but exceptional guests have been spotted in Ladakh and Afghanistan. The Mohrenscharbe lives in wetlands of all sizes in its range, from small village ponds to larger lakes, and sometimes also river estuaries .

Way of life

Floating black shag ( Kerala , India)

Black shags are fish-eaters who often hunt in small groups, but often alone. The bird swims deep in the water like the cormorant, so that only the neck and head protrude from the water like a periscope. The prey is made by diving and consists of fish, amphibians and all kinds of invertebrates. When diving, propulsion is achieved through the webbed oar feet. A study from northern India has shown that hunting waters are preferably less than a meter deep. The fish caught are often 2–8 cm long. Captured fish are usually first brought to the surface to be swallowed there. Other cormorants, colored storks , herons or seagulls parasitize the successful fish hunters relatively often.

Drying the plumage ( Hyderabad , India)

Like all cormorants and the closely related darters go Mohrenscharben after leaving the water to a resting place, then standing wide their wings far and remain for several minutes in this position. This typical family behavior is usually described as wing drying, but this interpretation has also been questioned. However, a study carried out in Sri Lanka, mainly on shags, has shown that the time spent spreading wings is directly related to air temperature and humidity. These results support the classic hypothesis that the spreading of the wings is for drying.

The birds are very sociable at the roost and often share it with other water birds. The shags are vocal near the nest and at their sleeping places by making deep booming noises. In addition, they also produce grunting and moaning sounds, like a deep ah-ah-ah and kok-kok-kok .

Reproduction

The breeding season depends on the local conditions in the tropical and subtropical range. In Pakistan and northern India it is between July and September, in southern India between November and February, in Sri Lanka between December and May. In Bangladesh, the birds breed from May to October.

Young birds in the nest

Shags usually breed in tree nests in or near water. Nest building in reed areas is also rarely observed. In general, the birds can be found in larger colonies, often in the company of other colony-forming bird species, especially herons. The nest consists of twigs and small sticks that form a flat plate. In relation to the size of the birds, the nest is quite small; an old heron or crow's nest is often used for expansion. Both parent birds take part in nest building, which takes about two weeks. The male flutters to indicate a possible nesting site, throwing his head back so that the beak is pointing up, and then lowering the beak again. After mating has taken place, courtship feeding occurs, in which the male offers food to the female. The 2–6 elongated eggs have a greenish shell covered by a whitish chalky layer. In the nest, the eggs quickly take on a yellowish or brownish color. The chalky layer occasionally crumbles off, revealing the green color underneath. The parent birds start breeding with the first egg-laying and the female then lays more than once every two days, so that asynchronous hatching occurs after a period of 15–21 days. The nestlings differ significantly in age and size. The downy chicks have a bare red head. After about a month the young birds can leave the nest.

Systematics

The species was first described as Hydrocorax niger by Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1817 . The generic name Hydrocorax literally means "water crow". Later the species was assigned to the large genus Phalacrocorax , where it was sometimes also listed as a subspecies of the very similar dwarf shark. However, it puts newer systematics together with the dwarf shear, the curled shear , the reed shear and the crown shear in the genus Microcarbo (literally "small shear").

The species is monotypical , i.e. H. no subspecies are distinguished.

literature

  • Zeenath Chozhiyattel: Behavior and adaptations of little cormorant 'Phalacrocorax niger' and Darter 'Anhinga melanogaster'. Ph.D. thesis. University of Calicut, 2009.
  • NJ Sarker, H. Naher: Experimental studies on food habits of the little cormorant, Phalacrocorax Niger (Vieillot). In: Bangladesh Journal of Zoology. 30 (2), 2002, pp. 173-182.
  • Kiran Purandare: Nesting colonies of the Little Cormorant ('Phalacrocorax niger') and Night Heron ('Nycticorax nycticorax') in Pune city, Maharashtra. In: Newsletter for Birdwatchers. 41 (1), 2001, p. 9.
  • AK Patnaik, M. Samanta, R. Prasad: Chromosome complement and banding patterns in a Pelecaniform bird. In: Phalacrocorax niger. Journal Hered. 72 (6), 1981, pp. 447-449.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c J. Orta, F. Jutglar, EFJ Garcia, GM Kirwan, P. Boesman: Little Cormorant (Microcarbo niger). In: J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, DA Christie, E. de Juana (Eds.): Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive . Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2018. (accessed on https://www.hbw.com/node/52662 on July 16, 2018).
  2. ↑ a b c Whistler, 1949, pp. 491-493.
  3. ^ PC Rasmussen, JC Anderton: Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide . tape 2 . Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions, Washington DC and Barcelona 2005, pp. 52 .
  4. ↑ Microcarbo pygmaeus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018.1. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  5. ↑ HS Sangha, R. Naoroji: Occurrence of Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger in Ladakh . In: Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society . tape 102 , no. 1 , p. 99 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
  6. ^ A b c S. Ali, SD Ripley: Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan . 2nd Edition. tape 1 . Oxford University Press, New Delhi 1978, pp. 41-43 .
  7. ↑ C. Zeenath, VJ Zacharias: Foraging behavior and diving pattern of Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger (Vieillot) (Pelecaniformes: Phalacrocoracidae) at Kallampara backwaters, Kerala, India . In: Journal of Threatened Taxa . tape 2 , no. 13 , 2010, p. 1382-1386 , doi : 10.11609 / jott.o1819.1382-6 ( threatenedtaxa.org [PDF]). Foraging behavior and diving pattern of Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger (Vieillot) (Pelecaniformes: Phalacrocoracidae) at Kallampara backwaters, Kerala, India ( Memento of the original from November 1, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / threatenedtaxa.org
  8. ↑ MM Mahendiran, AJ Urfi: Foraging patterns and kleptoparasitism among three sympatric cormorants ( Phalacrocorax spp.) From the Delhi region, North India . In: Hydrobiologia . tape 638 , 2010, p. 21-28 , doi : 10.1007 / s10750-009-0002-8 .
  9. ↑ H. Winkler: The wing-spreading behavior of the phalacrocorax niger . In: J. Orn. tape 124 , no. 2 , 1983, p. 177-186 , doi : 10.1007 / BF01640163 .
  10. ↑ a b H. Naher, NJ Sarker: Activities of the little cormorant, Phalacrocorax niger (Vieillot) in relation to sunlight in captivity . In: Ecoprint . tape 12 , 2005, p. 65-69 , doi : 10.3126 / eco.v12i0.3200 ( nepjol.info ).
  11. ↑ ECS Baker: The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Birds. 2nd Edition. tape 6 . Taylor and Francis, London 1929, p. 280-281 ( archive.org ).
  12. ↑ a b H. Naher, NJ Sarker: Display and Sexual Activities of the Little Cormorant, Phalacrocorax niger (Ciconiiformes: Phalacrocoracidae) in Captivity . In: Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences . tape 15 , no. 1 , p. 81-86 .
  13. ^ H. Naher, NJ Sarker, MK Rahman, SI Khan: Breeding Biology of the Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger in Bangladesh . In: Journal of Threatened Taxa . tape 1 , no. 4 , 2009, p. 221–225 , doi : 10.11609 / jott.o1790.221-5 ( threatenedtaxa.org [PDF]). Breeding Biology of the Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger in Bangladesh ( Memento of the original from November 1, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / threatenedtaxa.org
  14. ^ D. Siegel-Causey: Phylogeny of the Phalacrocoracidae . In: Condor . tape 90 , no. 4 , 1988, pp. 885-905 , doi : 10.2307 / 1368846 ( unm.edu [PDF]).
  15. ^ List of bird names in the IOU IOC World Bird List

Web links

Commons : Mohrenscharbe  - Collection of images, videos and audio files