Pied shag

Nests in the pōhutukawa at Rocky Bay, and dries its wings on the beach below.

Story

Locals call it the 'Kawau shag', and it nests in the big pōhutukawa at Rocky Bay and other bays. Fishers once shot pied shags as rivals for fish. Northern North Island numbers are still declining.

Behaviour

Pied shags usually fish alone in water under 10 m deep, taking flounder, mullet, kahawai and trevally. Between fishing trips they stand on the sand below the Rocky Bay trees, wings spread to dry.

There’s more about this bird on Kawau in the island’s history.