EUROPEAN SHAG, GALICIA, LIVE WEBCAM
- Local time
- Location: Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park, Galicia, Spain
- Source: SEOBirdLife
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Info: Live streaming webcam showing a european shag or common shag, nesting in Galicia Spain. This nest is located in the Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park.
View the location of El Parque Nacional MarĂtimo Terrestre de las Islas Atlánticas de Galicia, with Mapquest
To watch more live views of seabirds and coastal wildlife, visit: Live Seabird Webcams
More info: The European shag or common shag, is a medium-sized seabird, with dark, iridescent green/black plumage, emerald green eyes, and a, thin bill. The males display a small, forward-curving crest on their forehead during the breeding season and the name "shag" refers to this prominent crest or "tuft" of feathers.
European shags, unlike cormorants, are almost exclusively found at coastal locations and rarely inland. They inhabit rocky coastal cliffs and islands mainly in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.
The European shag is one of the deepest divers among the cormorant family and have been recorded diving up to 61 m (200 ft) deep. They are preponderantly benthic zone feeders, i.e. 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.
They nest in colonies on rocky ledges, making nests of untidy heaps of rotting seaweed or twigs cemented together by the bird's own guano. They usually lay 3 pale blue eggs which hatch after a month of incubation and the chicks have a thick coat of brown down. Both parents feed the youngsters whilst they remain on the nest for seven or eight weeks.