Spotted Shag or Parekareka, Stictocarbo punctatus is a species of coromrant endemic to New Zealand. Originally classified as Phalacrocorax punctatus, it is sufficiently different in appearance from typical members of that genus that to for a time it was placed in a separate genus, Stictocarbo, along with another similar species, the Pitt Island Shag.
Compared with typical cormorants, the Spotted Shag is a light-colored bird. Its back is brown. Its belly is pale blue-grey (often appearing white), and the white continues up the sides of the neck and face, but the throat and the top of the head are dark blue-green. In the mating season, it has an obvious double crest. There is little sexual dimorphism. Spotted Shags feed at sea, often in substantial flocks, taking its prey from mid-water rather than the bottom. It is likely that pitchard and anchovy are important prey species. Wilkipedia This Spotted Shag was photographed at a small rock island in the Harbor of Stewart Island.