Indian Shag (Phalacrocarax Fuscicolis)

Also known as the Indian cormorant, the Indian shag is found almost throughout the Indian subcontinent excluding the higher reaches of the Himalayas and on the island country of Sri Lanka. This glistening black duck-like waterfowl is only slightly bigger than a duck in size. The breeding birds will have white feathered tufts behind eyes and white speckles on head and neck, while the immature birds are a bronze-brown on the above and white bellied.


¤ Easily Traceable

These gregarious birds collect in large flocks to hunt communally on the edge of a river or lake. Small colonies of nesting Indian Shags can be found between July to February amongst a large mixed heronries throughout the sub-continent but the month might vary from one place to the other. Stories from a long ago past talk of leashed cormorants being used by some communities to fish.