European Shag
Gulosus aristotelis
Cormorants and Shags (Phalacrocoracidae) · Suliformes · Cormorants and Anhingas
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How to identify European Shag
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Often mixed up with
In quizzes, players most often confuse European Shag with these birds—either this species was picked by mistake, or the other way around.
| Species | Mix-ups |
|---|---|
| Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo | 221 |
| Pygmy Cormorant Microcarbo pygmaeus | 46 |
| Double-crested Cormorant Nannopterum auritum | 23 |
| Northern Gannet Morus bassanus | 14 |
| White Stork Ciconia ciconia | 3 |
Family
Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds found worldwide and commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the International Ornithologists' Union (IOU) adopted a consensus taxonomy of seven genera. The great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) and the common shag (Gulosus aristotelis) are the only two species of the family commonly encountered in Britain and Ireland.
Order
The order Suliformes (, dubbed "Phalacrocoraciformes" by Christidis & Boles 2008) is an order of birds that includes gannets, boobies, frigatebirds, cormorants and darters. The order is recognised by the International Ornithologist's Union. Regarding the recent evidence that the traditional Pelecaniformes is polyphyletic, it has been suggested that the group be divided to reflect the true evolutionary relationships; a 2017 study indicated that they are most closely related to Otidiformes (bustards) and Ciconiiformes (storks).