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Imperial Shags are small, black-and-white cormorants. Their front is white, the back is black, the wings are glossy black. They are the only Australian cormorant with a white upperwing stripe. Legs, feet and bill are dark-grey. They have striking blue eyes and yellow carunculation at the base of the bill and between the eyes.

The Macquarie Shag, here listed as race "purpurascens" of the Imperial Shag, Phalacrocorax atriceps, is treated by many as a separate species, "Phalacrocorax purpurascens".

The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org .

The global distribution of the Imperial Shag, race "purpurascens", which is often also called the "Macquarie Shag", is available HERE .

Imperial Shags, race "purpurascens", are endemic to the Macquarie Group in the Southern Ocean, near halfway between the Australian continent and Antarctica. They are mostly found on Macquarie and nearby Heard Islands and the sea around them, but occasionally also on the nearby smaller islands.

Imperial Shags are mostly found on coastal waters and rocky shores of these offshore islands.

Where to look? How to find this species?

It is important for all birds spending a lot of time under water, such as cormorants and darters, to dry and seal their plumage. They will often be seen on perches near the water's edge, such as rocks, dead branches, poles or lampposts, drying their plumage with extended wings.

B. Hensen reports spotting Imperial Shags, race "purpurascens", (Macquarie Shags) on Macquarie Island, Southern Ocean, in December 1993.

M. Mearns spotted Imperial Shags, race "purpurascens", (Macquarie Shags) in Antarctica in January 2005.