CreatureData

Imperial shag

Leucocarbo atriceps (P. P. King, 1828)

LCLeast Concernbirds

The imperial shag (Leucocarbo atriceps) is a species in the family Phalacrocoracidae, order Suliformes. Recorded adults weigh 2.27 kg to 2.72 kg and live up to 10.9 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Imperial shag (Leucocarbo atriceps)
Photo: Calyponte · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the imperial shag

Weight
2.27 kg – 2.72 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
10.9 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
marinesrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
29 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
2.5src for Young per litter or clutch
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Aquaticsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Partialsrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the imperial shag live?

Not recorded

What is the imperial shag?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The imperial shag or imperial cormorant (Leucocarbo atriceps) is a black-and-white cormorant native to southern South America, islands of the Subantarctic, and the Antarctic Peninsula, primarily in rocky coastal regions, but locally also at large inland lakes. Some taxonomic authorities, including the International Ornithologists' Union, place it in the genus Leucocarbo, others in the genus Phalacrocorax. It is also known as the blue-eyed shag, blue-eyed cormorant and by many other names, and is one of a larger group of cormorants called blue-eyed shags. The taxonomy is complex, and several types are treated as either subspecies or separate species.

From the Wikipedia article “Imperial shag” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Imperial_shag&oldid=1379903123), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the imperial shag endangered?

The imperial shag is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the imperial shag classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderSuliformes
  5. familyPhalacrocoracidae
  6. genusLeucocarbo
  7. SpeciesLeucocarbo atriceps (P. P. King, 1828)

Synonyms Leucocarbo atriceps, Phalacrocorax albiventer albiventer, Phalacrocorax atriceps, Phalacrocorax atriceps atriceps

Other names and names in other languages (28)
  • Imperial cormorantEnglish
  • corb marí imperialCatalan
  • kormorán modrookýCzech
  • Blåøjet SkarvDanish
  • KaiserscharbeGerman
  • BlauaugenscharbeGerman
  • imperia kormoranoEsperanto
  • Cormorán imperialSpanish
  • lõunakormoran (lõunakarbas)Estonian
  • etelänmerimetsoFinnish
  • Cormoran impérialFrench
  • bjelotrbi vranacCroatian
  • kékszemű kárókatonaHungarian
  • Cormorano imperialeItalian
  • ズグロムナジロヒメウJapanese
  • mėlynakis kormoranasLithuanian
  • KeizeraalscholverDutch
  • knoppskarvNorwegian
  • kormoran niebieskookiPolish
  • biguá-imperialPortuguese
  • corvo-marinho-imperialPortuguese
  • Голубоглазый бакланRussian
  • Kraljevski vranacSerbian
  • kejsarskarvSwedish
  • Mavi Gözlü KarabatakTurkish
  • баклан імператорськийUkrainian
  • 蓝眼鸬鹚Chinese
  • 藍眼鸕鷀Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the imperial shag

Other species in the same genus Leucocarbo.

VU, Vulnerable
Bounty shag (Leucocarbo ranfurlyi)

Bounty shag

Leucocarbo ranfurlyi

Phalacrocoracidae

LC, Least Concern
Rock shag (Leucocarbo magellanicus)

Rock shag

Leucocarbo magellanicus

Phalacrocoracidae

CompareImperial shag vs Guanay cormorantImperial shag vs Bounty shagImperial shag vs New Zealand king shagImperial shag vs Rock shag

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the imperial shag?

An adult imperial shag weighs 2.27 kg – 2.72 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the imperial shag endangered?

The imperial shag is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the imperial shag live?

The imperial shag has a recorded lifespan of 10.9 years.

What kind of animal is the imperial shag?

The imperial shag (Leucocarbo atriceps) belongs to the family Phalacrocoracidae in the order Suliformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Imperial shag (Leucocarbo atriceps). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/imperial-shag

MLA

“Imperial shag (Leucocarbo atriceps).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/imperial-shag.

BibTeX
@misc{imperial_shag_2026,
  title = {Imperial shag (Leucocarbo atriceps)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/imperial-shag},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}