Stewart Island shag or Stewart shag was the former name of a species of

cormorant Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the IOC adopted a consensus taxonomy of seven ge ...

that was split into two species as a result of genetic studies. The two resulting species are: *

Otago shag The Otago shag, (''Leucocarbo chalconotus''), together with the Foveaux shag formerly known as the Stewart Island shag and in its dark phase as the bronze shag, is a species of shag now found only in coastal Otago, New Zealand. Description T ...

, ''Leucocarbo chalconotus'', which is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to coastal

Otago, New Zealand Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government regi ...

Foveaux shag The Foveaux shag (''Leucocarbo stewarti''), together with the Otago shag formerly known as the Stewart Island shag and in its dark phase as the bronze shag, is a species of shag endemic to Stewart Island/Rakiura and Foveaux Strait, from which it ...

, ''Leucocarbo stewarti'', which is endemic to Stewart Island/Rakiura and

Foveaux Strait The Foveaux Strait, (, or , ) separates Stewart Island, New Zealand's third largest island, from the South Island. The strait is about 130 km long (from Ruapuke Island to Little Solander Island), and it widens (from 14 km at Ruapuk ...

in New Zealand Some authorities, such as BirdLife and the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

, continue to treat these as a single species.

References

{{reflist , refs = {{cite web , title=Stewart Shag ''Leucocarbo chalconotus'' , url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/stewart-shag-leucocarbo-chalconotus , publisher=

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

, access-date=29 November 2020 {{cite web , title=Storks, frigatebirds, boobies, cormorants, darters , url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/bow/storks/ , publisher=

International Ornithological Congress International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

, access-date=29 November 2020 {{cite iucn , title=Stewart Shag: ''Phalacrocorax chalconotus'' , page=e.T22696853A133556225 , author=

, year=2018 , access-date=29 November 2020 {{Cite journal , last1=Rawlence , first1=Nicolas J. , last2=Scofield , first2=R. Paul , last3=Spencer , first3=Hamish G. , last4=Lalas , first4=Chris , last5=Easton , first5=Luke J. , last6=Tennyson , first6=Alan J.D. , last7=Adams , first7=Mark , last8=Pasquet , first8=Eric , last9=Fraser , first9=Cody , last10=Waters , first10=Jonathan M. , last11=Kennedy , first11=Martyn , name-list-style=amp , year=2016 , title=Genetic and morphological evidence for two species of ''Leucocarbo'' shag (Aves, Pelecaniformes, Phalacrocoracidae) from southern South Island of New Zealand , journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , doi=10.1111/zoj.12376 , volume=177 , issue=3 , pages=676–694 , doi-access=free Cormorants