Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This species is listed as Vulnerable because it has a very small breeding range which renders it susceptible to stochastic effects and human impacts. Population trends are unknown, but are assumed to be more or less stable.
Population justification
In 1975, the population was estimated at c.2,000 breeding pairs or 8,000 birds (Marchant and Higgins 1990, Heather and Robertson 1997). However, the breeding season may be quite prolonged and not synchronous between colonies, and therefore the census may have underestimated numbers (P. Moore in litt. 1999). Thus, the number of individuals may be a more reasonable reflection of the breeding population. Nevertheless, a more up-to-date population estimate is required for this species.
Trend justification
In the absence of significant known threats, this species's population is suspected to be stable.
Leucocarbo campbelli is endemic to Campbell Island, New Zealand, and adjacent offshore islands and stacks.
The species breeds in inaccessible colonies of up to 150 nests on exposed rocky ledges or in sea caves. Individuals usually forage in seas within 10 km of the main island (Taylor 2000). The oldest bird known lived for over 13 years (Heather and Robertson 1997).
Historically, the presence of feral cats, sheep and rats may have restricted the expansion of some colonies, but nesting on inaccessible cliff ledges probably limited their impact on the species. Sheep have been removed from Campbell Island, cats disappeared in 1999, and rats were successfully eradicated by 2003 (McClelland 2011). The native Brown Skua Catharacta lonnbergi is a known egg predator, but the impact on population reproductive success is likely negligible (P. Moore in litt. 1999, Orta et al. 2018). The extremely limited breeding range renders the species susceptible to stochastic events.
Conservation Actions Underway
The Campbell Island group is a nature reserve and was declared part of a World Heritage Site in 1998. Cattle, sheep and rats have been eradicated since the 1980s (P. Moore in litt. 1999, Taylor 2000, BBC 2003).
63 cm. Medium-sized, black-and-white cormorant. Black head, neck, lower back, rump, uppertail-coverts, all with metallic blue sheen. White chin, underparts. Pink feet. White patches on wings appear as bar when folded. Caruncles absent. Voice Male barks during courtship.
Text account compilers
Taylor, J., Fjagesund, T., Mahood, S., Martin, R., Benstead, P., McClellan, R., Miller, E., Moreno, R., Pilgrim, J.
Contributors
Moore, P., Weeber, B.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Campbell Island Shag Leucocarbo campbelli. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/campbell-island-shag-leucocarbo-campbelli on 23/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 23/11/2024.