NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Auckland Shag
Leucocarbo colensoi (Buller, 1888)
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.
Auckland Shag in breeding plumage from Enderby Island
Joshua Bergmark (Ornis Birding Expeditions) · CC BY 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Auckland shag or Auckland Islands shag (Leucocarbo colensoi) is a species of cormorant from New Zealand. The species is endemic to the Auckland Islands archipelago. It is a sedentary bird that primarily eats various crustaceans and fish. In recent years, roughly 1,000 pairs have been recorded. The Auckland shag is a colonial nester, building sizeable nests of, among other items, grass, twigs and seaweed. The Auckland shag lays three pale blue-green eggs in November–February. The incubation period is 26–32 days.
The Auckland shag is considered Vulnerable by the IUCN due to its small population size and restricted global range.
Some taxonomic authorities, including the International Ornithologists' Union, place this species in the genus Leucocarbo. Others place it in the genus Phalacrocorax.
The specific epithet of this bird commemorates the naturalist William Colenso.
Wikipedia contributors, Auckland shag; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:11:51.450608+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Leucocarbo colensoi (Buller, 1888)
- Name authority
- (Buller, 1888)
- Common name
- Auckland Shag
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Suliformes
- Family
- Phalacrocoracidae
- Genus
- Leucocarbo
- 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
- genusLeucocarbo Bonaparte, 1856
- speciesLeucocarbo colensoi (Buller, 1888)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Leucocarbo. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Kerguelen ShagLeucocarbo verrucosus (Cabanis, 1875) | PhalacrocoracidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| South Georgia ShagLeucocarbo georgianus (Lönnberg, 1906) | PhalacrocoracidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Crozet ShagLeucocarbo melanogenis (Blyth, 1860) | PhalacrocoracidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Stewart Island ShagLeucocarbo chalconotus (G. R. Gray, 1845) | PhalacrocoracidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Heard Island ShagLeucocarbo nivalis (Falla, 1937) | PhalacrocoracidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Campbell ShagLeucocarbo campbelli (Filhol, 1878) | PhalacrocoracidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Imperial ShagLeucocarbo atriceps (P. P. King, 1828) | PhalacrocoracidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Guanay CormorantLeucocarbo bougainvilliorum (R. P. Lesson, 1837) | 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 |
|---|---|
| Phalacrocorax colensoi Buller, 1888 Buller, 1888 | synonym |
| Phalacrocorax campbelli colensoi Buller, 1888 Buller, 1888 | 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=824010 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:725KH. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.