Guanay cormorant
| Guanay cormorant | |
|---|---|
| Guanay cormorant on Islas Ballestas, Peru | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Suliformes |
| Family: | Phalacrocoracidae |
| Genus: | Leucocarbo |
| Species: | L. bougainvilliorum |
| Binomial name | |
| Leucocarbo bougainvilliorum (Lesson, RP, 1837) | |
| Distribution map of the guanay cormorant | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Phalacrocorax bougainvillii | |
The guanay cormorant or guanay shag (Leucocarbo bougainvilliorum) is a member of the cormorant family found on the Pacific coast of Peru and northern Chile. After breeding it spreads south to southern parts of Chile and north to Ecuador, and has also been recorded as far north as Panama and Colombia, probably a result of mass dispersal due to food shortage in El Niño years. Its major habitats include shallow seawater and rocky shores. A former population on the Patagonian Atlantic coast of Argentina appears to be extinct.