Nombre en español: Guanay

Nombre en ingles: Guanay Cormorant

Nombre científico:Leucocarbo bougainvillii

Categorías: Errática / Amenazada / Casi amenazada NT

El cormorán guanay (Leucocarbo bougainvillii), también conocido como guanay, pato lilo o pato de mar, es una especie de ave suliforme de la familia Phalacrocoracidae² propia de Sudamérica. Es un importante productor de guano, que se emplea en la agricultura como fertilizante.

Distribución

Puebla las costas de Perú, Chile y Ecuador. Es vagante en las aguas del Océano Pacífico de Colombia, Panamá y extremo sur de la Argentina. En este último país la especie también cuenta con dos colonias de nidificación, ambas en la provincia del Chubut, en el mar Argentino, las únicas en todo el Atlántico. Estas dos últimas subpoblaciones se hallan en una leve recuperación después de haber llegado casi a su extinción, aunque aún se hallan en peligro grave.

Los escasos ejemplares atlánticos sufren una absorción genética al hibridarse con ejemplares de la enorme población de sus parientes más próximos: el cormorán de cuello negro, y el cormorán imperial.

Descripción

Mide 68 centímetros de largo. Su cabeza, cuello, alas y dorso son de color negro mientras que la garganta, base del cuello, pecho y abdomen son blancos. En estado adulto tiene una zona desnuda de color rojo alrededor del ojo. Su pico es gris con base rojiza y sus patas rosadas. Se alimenta de anchovetas, y su guano sirve como abono.

Aprovechamiento

Es el ave guanera por excelencia. Su guano se emplea en la agricultura como fertilizante por su alto contenido de nitrógeno.

Guanay cormorant

The Guanay cormorant or Guanay shag (Leucocarbo bougainvillii) is a member of the cormorant family found on the Pacific coast of Peru and northern Chile. (The Argentinian population on the Patagonian Atlantic coast appears to be extirpated.) 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.

Immature on Rt – Pucasana coast – Peru

The Guanay cormorant is similar in coloration to the rock cormorant, Phalacrocorax magellanicus, but larger, measuring 78 cm from the tip of the bill to the end of the tail. Its bill is grayish with some red at the base. The face is red with a green eye-ring. It has roseate feet. The head, neck and back are black as are the outer parts of the thighs. The throat patch, breast and belly are white. In breeding plumage it has a few white feathers on the sides of the head and neck.

Breeding occurs year-round with a peak in November and December. The nest is built of guano on flat surfaces on offshore islands or remote headlands. There are up to three nests per square meter in high-density colonies. The Guanay cormorant lays two or three eggs of approximately 63 x 40 mm in size.

It feeds mainly on the Peruvian anchoveta, Engraulis ringens, and the Peruvian silverside, Odontesthes regia, which thrive in the cold Humboldt Current. The Guanay cormorant is the main producer of guano.^[c

Habitat loss and degradation and over-fishing have resulted in a steady decline of the population of about 30% from an estimated figure of 3 million birds in 1984. This species is listed as Near Threatened by IUCN.

Some taxonomic authorities, including the International Ornithologists’ Union, place this species in the genus Leucocarbo. Others place it in the genus Phalacrocorax.

The scientific name commemorates the French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville. The bird’s droppings were such an important source of fertilizer to the peoples of the Andes that it was protected by Inca rulers, who supposedly made disturbing the cormorants in any way punishable by death.