Birds of Ireland: Shag

A shag's breeding plumage features distinctive forward-curling dark crown tufts and they have all-dark iridescent plumage with a thin yellow patch below the eye
Birds of Ireland: Shag

Pair of shags on Inisheer pier, County Galway, Picture: Dan MacCarthy

Sat, 06 Sep, 2025 - 16:55
Jim Wilson and Mark Carmody

Shag [Seaga | Phalacrocorax aristotelis]

A shag is about 65-80 centimetres long with a wingspan of 90-105 centimetres.

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<p>The study examined how the area and quality of natural habitats influence the populations of wild bees, bumblebees, hoverflies, and butterflies. For all species groups, this simple relationship rang true: the more natural habitat, the more pollinators in farmland areas. Habitats with more flowering plants also harbour more pollinators of all groups than areas with few flowers. Bumblebee on sunflower in Ballintemple, Cork. Picture: Larry Cummins</p>

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