Little pied cormorant
| Little pied cormorant | |
|---|---|
| in New South Wales | |
| in Tasmania | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Suliformes |
| Family: | Phalacrocoracidae |
| Genus: | Microcarbo |
| Species: | M. melanoleucos |
| Binomial name | |
| Microcarbo melanoleucos (Vieillot, 1817) | |
| Range of the little pied cormorant | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Phalacrocorax melanoleucos | |
The little pied cormorant, little shag or kawaupaka (Microcarbo melanoleucos) is a common species of Australasian waterbird, found around the coasts, islands, estuaries, and inland waters of Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Timor-Leste and Indonesia, and around the islands of the south-western Pacific and the subantarctic. It is a small short-billed cormorant usually black above and white below with a yellow bill and small crest, although a mostly black white-throated form predominates in New Zealand. Three subspecies are recognised. Until recently most authorities referred to this species as Phalacrocorax melanoleucos.