Stewart Island shag
species of bird
The Stewart Island shag (Leucocarbo chalconotus; Māori: matapo) is a species of shag found on New Zealand's South Island and Stewart Island. The Stewart Island shag has sometimes been split into two species, the Foveaux shag and the Otago shag.
Taxonomy
The Stewart Island shag was formally described and illustrated in 1845 by the English zoologist George Gray based on a specimen collected by Percy Earl in the Otago region of New Zealand's South Island. Gray placed the new species in the genus Gracalus and coined the binomial name Gracalus chalconotus. The specific epithet is from Ancient Greek χαλκονωτος/khalkonōtos meaning "bronze-backed". The Stewart Island shag is now one of the 15 shags placed in the genus Leucocarbo, which was introduced in 1856 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte.
Two subspecies are recognised:
L. c. chalconotus (Gray, GR, 1845) – east South Island (New Zealand)
L. c. stewarti (Ogilvie-Grant, 1898) – south South Island and Stewart Island (New Zealand)
The Stewart Island shag has sometimes been split into two species with the subspecies L. c. chalconotus known as the Otago shag and the subspecies L. c.
The public source identifies “Stewart Island shag” as species of bird. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Stewart, Island and shag.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Stewart Island shag”, the useful work is to connect “species of bird” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q27074618. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1845, 1856 and 1898.
A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Stewart Island shag”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Stewart Island shag primary sources, Stewart Island shag archive and Stewart research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Stewart Island shag”?
- Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Stewart Island shag” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.