European Shag

Shags have a crest which is only really apparent in the summer. Nevertheless, this bird is called the 'tufted cormorant' in Dutch. Actually, shag is an old name meaning tufted. Shags nest in colonies along the North Sea and Mediterranean Sea. Their neighbors are often guillemots, auks, kittiwakes, fulmars and herring gulls. Shags make their nest on bare rock. They soften it up using seaweed and other objects that wash ashore.