NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Australian Pied Cormorant
Phalacrocorax varius (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
An Australian Pied Cormorant in Waikawa, Marlborough, New Zealand.
Sid Mosdell from New Zealand · CC BY 2.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Australian pied cormorant (Phalacrocorax varius), also known as the pied cormorant, pied shag, or great pied cormorant, is a medium-sized member of the cormorant family. It is found around the coasts of Australasia. In New Zealand, it is usually known either as the pied shag or by its Māori name of kāruhiruhi. Older sources may refer to it as the "yellow-faced cormorant".
Wikipedia contributors, Australian pied cormorant; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:10:02.863812+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Phalacrocorax varius (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
- Name authority
- (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
- Common name
- Australian Pied Cormorant
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Suliformes
- Family
- Phalacrocoracidae
- Genus
- Phalacrocorax
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderSuliformes
- familyPhalacrocoracidae Reichenbach, 1849
- genusPhalacrocorax Brisson, 1760
- speciesPhalacrocorax varius (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Phalacrocorax. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese CormorantPhalacrocorax capillatus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1850) | PhalacrocoracidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Socotra CormorantPhalacrocorax nigrogularis Ogilvie-Grant & H. O. Forbes, 1899 | PhalacrocoracidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Little Black CormorantPhalacrocorax sulcirostris (J. F. Brandt, 1837) | PhalacrocoracidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus, 1758) | PhalacrocoracidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pitt ShagPhalacrocorax featherstoni Buller, 1873 | PhalacrocoracidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-faced CormorantPhalacrocorax fuscescens (Vieillot, 1817) | PhalacrocoracidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Indian CormorantPhalacrocorax fuscicollis Stephens, 1826 | PhalacrocoracidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bank CormorantPhalacrocorax neglectus (Wahlberg, 1855) | PhalacrocoracidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Spotted ShagPhalacrocorax punctatus (Sparrman, 1786) | PhalacrocoracidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Pelecanus varius J. F. Gmelin, 1789 J. F. Gmelin, 1789 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=174752 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4FQR7. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.