Picture Shags (Cormorants) of bird For idenficaon and species info refer to: www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz

Introducon Ecology and life history Shags, also known as cormorants, are Normal adult weight range: Normal adult weight varies between species. diving birds and therefore do not The Lile shag is the smallest species with weights ranging from 0.4-0.8kg, have external nostrils. Instead they while the larger species can get up to 2.5kg. Due to variaon between breath through gaps in the corner of species the doses used for feeding, fluid and medicaon should be their bills. They have four front- calculated based on the individual bird's weight. facing toes that are webbed. There Moult: Shags moult their feathers gradually over 5-10 months are 13 species found in New Zealand, Breeding: Breeding season varies between species. Most breed during the 7 of which are endemic to specific spring and summer months while other species are able to breed at islands and 1 species endemic to the anyme although in general they would only rear one clutch every 12 South Island. Shags in general do not months. The New Zealand King shag is unique in that it breeds during the migrate and remain resident in the winter months. area of their breeding site year- Diet: Mainly fish, but some species may also consume crustaceans, round. shellfish, insects and frogs.

Personal protecve equipment (PPE): Appropriate PPE must be worn when capturing and handling oiled wildlife to prevent exposure to oil (disposable nitrile gloves, safety glasses/goggles, protecon for clothing e.g. Tyvec suit). Old towels or blue inconnence pads are useful to handle oiled birds as they can be discarded once soiled. Eye-protecon is essenal during capture and handling because they have a very quick neck reflex and will lunge at the eyes in defense. Capture Handling Consider the safety of both humans and Always wear eye-protecon when handling shags. Wear normal birds. examinaon gloves if not oiled to prevent feather damage. Restrain Oiled birds may sll have the ability to fly in a towel to prevent flapping and damaging of wings. Cover the depending on the amount and locaon of oil head with the towel to reduce stress. on the body. Long-handled fishing nets are Shags do not have nostrils and useful for capture. If the bird is on land and breath through their mouth so it is unable to fly then towels are useful for vitally important not to hold their capture by throwing it over the bird then mouth closed. Instead, their head gathering it up ensuring the wings are can be restrained with fingers restrained in the towel and the head is under the lower jaw and thumb covered. If the bird is on land then ensure gripping on top of the head that someone is standing between the bird (not the upper bill) or by holding the back of the head in the palm and the water to prevent them from entering and gripping the corners of the jaw with the fingers on one side and it. Most birds will defecate aer being caught. thumb on the other.

Transport to WARNING – NEVER place your eyes close to holes in transport boxes. facility Herons, gannets & shags will lunge at eyes causing serious injury or blindness. Transport box: made of plasc, NOT wood or cardboard, as oil contaminaon can be cleaned and box reused. Best opon is a Corflute box. Available from A&E Karsten LTD (ph +64 9 266 2781, [email protected]) Size of the box should suit the size of the bird. Alternave opon is a plasc PetPak. Only ONE bird per box. Flooring: Correct flooring in the transport box is important. It should (i) be so and non-abrasive in order to prevent development of bumblefoot during transport, (ii) be non-slip so that the bird can steady itself and (iii) prevent build up of faecal maer that can cause urate burns. Blue-tube rubber mang covered with blue inconnence pads or a suspended neng floor are the best opons. Folded newspaper is inappropriate as it becomes too slippery when contaminated by faeces. Shredded paper, straw, hay and seagrass should be avoided as it increases the risk of Aspergillosis

Vehicle transport: van or ute, with canopy and a separate air space from people to prevent inhalaon of oil fumes. Ideally temperature controlled (heang on cold days, cooling on hot days).

Shags (cormorants) HUSBANDRY REQUIREMENTS Housing Keep indoors and temperature controlled at 25-27°C because oiled animals cannot thermoregulate.

pre-cleaning Enclosure: (oiled) • Shags need enough room to stretch their wings. • Keep in temperature controlled rooms. If room is very large then build temporary aviaries with a roof. Ensure walls of temporary enclosure are made of materials that can easily be cleaned of oil such as plasc or metal, not wood. Examples of suitable walls include temporary metal fencing with walls and roof lined with shade cloth to prevent damage to feathers. Ensure metal fencing is not galvanised with zinc or lead as this could lead to heavy metal poisoning if the birds chew on the fence. • Mulple shags of different species can be kept in a single enclosure, but ensure that it is not overcrowded. Allow for 1.5m2 per bird. • Reduce visibility of humans and noise to minimise stress.

Flooring: • Best opon is fine (0.5cm) non-knoed coon neng using PVC pipe as a frame and suspended at least 15cm above floor. • Alternavely blue tube mang can be used (available at hardware stores) • Correct flooring is very important to prevent uric acid and faecal buildup which can cause feather damage and bumblefoot. • Avoid oil coming into contact with a concrete floor as it is very difficult to clean. Line floor with heavy duty plasc sheets (e.g. pond liner or large garbage bags) then place neng or tube mang on top. Housing Enclosure post-cleaning Outdoor aviary with shade cloth covering the roof and walls. Large enough to allow them to stretch (no oil) their wings. Flooring Blue tube mang on floor to prevent uric acid and faecal buildup and bumblefoot. NOTE: grey tube flooring is harder than the blue version which increases risk of bumblefoot.

Gregarious species Mulple shags of different species can be housed together in an aviary, but ensure that 2 it is not overcrowded and watch for bullying. Allow for 1.5m per bird. Perches Shags require perches. Long logs or tree stumps on the floor are suitable. Provide perches made of PVC tubing covered in blue tube mang suspended above the pool (pictured) or a floang ra. Diameter of piping should be appropriate for the size of their feet. Clean perches daily. Pool Seabirds in the rehabilitaon phase need access to water in their enclosure to aid waterproofing. • Suitable in-aviary pool types: built-in, large plasc containers or children’s swimming pool or shell. • Non-slip ramps to allow easy access and exit of water. • Minimum water depth for shags is 50cm. • Preferably use seawater, but freshwater can be used. If using freshwater then provide birds with a salt supplement in order to maintain salt glands (see “Supplements” secon). • No need to heat pool water. • Connuous flow of water is required to prevent buildup of fish oil and faeces on the surface of the water which inhibits the waterproofing process. This is most easily achieved by placing a hose above the pool allowing the running water to break the surface of the pool water and leng it overflow. Good drainage around the pool is required. • Surface skimmer is useful for removing oil, food and faeces floang on the surface. Transport As per handling instrucons. Wear safety glasses. within facility If bird is oiled then appropriate PPE must be worn to prevent oil exposure. Use large towels for restraint and dispose if contaminated with oil. Idenficaon Leg band (temporary idenficaon to be removed before release) Shags (cormorants) NUTRITION, SUPPLEMENTS and FLUIDS At admission Triage assessment: physical examinaon by trained personnel (preferably a veterinarian) Record cloacal temperature. Give fluids at inial stabilisaon rates below. Dosing If large numbers of birds require dosing then calculate dose based on the weight of the heaviest bird. Group animals into similar age and/or size class for dosing calculaons. Fluid rate Inial stabilisaon: 75-80ml/kg body weight/day divided into two doses PO Once hydrated: 50-60ml/kg body weight/day divided into two doses PO Fluid type For long term maintenance use either isotonic saline (0.9%) or Vytrate®/Lectade® Amount Feed 10% of body weight (BW) TWICE a day. (i.e. 20% of body weight total each day) Food type If weak, emaciated and dehydrated: Give oral electrolyte fluids at ‘inial stabilisaon’ rate listed above for 24 hours to rehydrate gut. Use either: (i) Equal parts (50:50) Hartmann’s soluon and 2.5% dextrose in 0.45% saline, (ii) 5% dextrose in 0.9% saline OR (iii) Vytrate®/Lectade®. Once gut is hydrated, then start with small amounts of fish slurry. If able to take solids: human grade small whole salmon or large salmon cut into pieces. Food Fish slurry with insecvore mix: Place human grade salmon in heavy duty blender and blend. Add preparaon just enough isotonic (0.9% NaCl) fluid to blender to achieve a smooth consistency. Sieve slurry using a metal sieve to remove any chunks that may clog the feeding tube. Add a few scoops of insecvore mix. Note that the amount of insecvore mix to add may need to be adjusted based on the bird’s weight gain or loss. Discard aer 24 in the refrigerator. Whole fish: Ideally defrost covered in refrigerator to retain nutrional quality. However, if large amounts of food are required then fish can be defrosted under cold running water immediately before feeding so long as vitamin supplements are given. To cut large whole salmon into pieces, cut on an angle as pictured. Supplements ① Mazuri seabird vitamins: 1 tablet per 225g fish. (Available at Carlyle Vet Clinic, Napier 06 835 1096). ② Itraconazole (Sporonox): 5mg/kg BW PO once daily via so crop tube to prevent Aspergillosis. ③ Salt (sodium chloride) to recondion salt gland: Only required if birds have been housed long- term in freshwater. Start at least 2 week before release. Give orally either as 3% saline soluon at maintenance fluid rates or 100mg/kg BW PO once daily. Gradually increase dose over four days: Day 1 give ¼ dose, Day 2 give ½ dose, Day give ¾ dose, Day 4 give full dose, then connue at full dose. Delivery & Warm fluids and slurry to 38-40°C. Large volumes of fluid and fish slurry are easier to deliver with a device large, plasc, lamb stomach tube 16” in length (pictured) and 60ml catheter-p syringe. If housed alone, some birds may learn to eat from a shallow bowl. Otherwise, force feed (FF) fish head first. Restrained head and open bill then place fish into the back of the mouth. Once the fish is far enough to the back of the throat the bird should swallow it down – release the head at this stage to allow the animal to swallow. Feeding is most safely done with two people. Avoid geng fish juices on the skin and feathers at the corner of the mouth as this disrupts waterproofing and causes dermas. If fish juice/oil gets onto skin or feathers DO NOT ATTEMPT TO WIPE OFF. Rinse area with a large syringe of water and allow bird to preen. HEALTH SCREENING Venepuncture sites: The medial metatarsal vein is the easiest to access. Brachial vein can also be used.

Anaemia Kidney funcon Birds exposed to oil can quickly become anaemic Uric acid (UA) levels in birds are a measure of kidney (decreased red blood cells) due to the toxic affects of oil funcon. Elevated UA levels >600 IU/dl indicate that the and starvaon. As a minimum, packed cell volume (PCV) kidneys are failing or the animal is severely dehydrated, and serum total protein (TP) should be measured at both of which commonly occur in oiled birds. (1) intake (2) pre-wash (3) post-wash (4) pre-release. Treatment: IV or PO isotonic fluids at twice maintenance Severely anaemic (PCV<15-20) birds require blood rates (100ml/kg/24 hours) transfusion. Birds should not be released unl their UA levels return Birds should not be: to within the normal range (<600 IU/dl). If UA levels • washed unl PCV ≥30% and TP ≥25g/L remain elevated despite treatment then the bird likely • released unl their PCV and TP levels return to within has irreversible kidney failure and should be euthanised the normal range for shags = PCV 35-55%, TP 30-50g/L. on humane grounds. Shags (cormorants) Common Medicaons Washing An-fungals: Preventave treatment of Aspergillosis Birds must be stable and strong enough to withstand (a severe respiratory fungal infecon) is highly the stress of washing. This may mean that a bird will recommended as these birds are extremely suscepble remain oiled for several days unl it has been stabilised. to this life-threatening disease when in capvity. Requirements for washing are very specific. Refer to Itraconazole available only by veterinary prescripon. the “Washing” factsheet for detailed informaon. See dose rate on page 1. Waterproofing Anbiocs: are only required if the animal has an Shags are unique amongst diving birds in that their open or infected wound or known bacterial infecon feathers are parally "weable". All shags (except and should only be given if prescribed by a veterinarian Bounty Is shags) will stand with wings spread aer diving aer examinaon of the animal. in order to dry the wet feathers. The structure of their Dose rates: Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid 125mg/kg PO BID feathers is quite different to other diving birds. The outer region of the feathers are loosely connected and Enrofloxacin 5-10mg/kg PO BID become water logged while the central core is highly Pain relief: is only required if the animal has a painful resistant to water penetraon. This facilitates a balance condion (e.g. open wound) and should only be given if between buoyancy and thermoregulaon while diving. prescribed by a veterinarian aer examinaon of the These structural differences in the feathers have animal. Dose rates: implicaons for waterproofing assessment: (1) surface Meloxicam (for mild to moderate so ssue pain) weness is not an appropriate measure (2) the body 0.5-1 mg/kg BID normally sits low in the water and therefore this feature Butorphanol (for moderate to severe bone pain) cannot be used as an indicator of waterproofing. The 5mg/kg IM ideally every 2-3hours but can be recommended indicaon of waterproofing status for given twice a day shags is to assess the level of "wet to skin" and birds can Acvated charcoal: not recommended be considered waterproof once there are no areas of "wet to skin”. Problems associated with capvity ALL secondary complicaons require veterinary aenon Release criteria Isolate any sick birds from the group. Birds should only be released if they fulfill ALL the following criteria: 1. Aspergillosis 1. Waterproof (based on objecve scoring system) A serious, life-threatening respiratory fungal infecon. 2. Weight within normal range for that species Clinical signs include noisy or difficulty breathing. (see www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz) AND Body Condion Score at least 3/5 2. Pressure sores: keel lesions, hock lesions or pododermas (bumblefoot) The condion is best prevented with good husbandry and appropriate floor coverings. Depending on severity the bird may require surgery. Treatment involves specific wound care and bandaging.

3. Traumac injuries

Traumac injuries such as bone fractures can occur in 3. PCV 35-55%, TP 30-50/L capvity due to excessive force used during handling or 4. UA <600 IU/dl issues in the enclosure (eg. gaps where legs or wings can 5. Secondary complicaons resolved and checked by get stuck). veterinarian

Other things to consider: 4. Feather damage • Is their release habitat free from oil? Usually occurs from inappropriate handling or • Can be released on the shoreline. enclosure. Birds cannot be released if feather damage effects waterproofing. If it is the wrong me of year for Disclaimer: This fact sheet is managed by Wildbase Oil Response (WOR) for informaon purposes only. Informaon contained in it is drawn from a variety a natural moult, please seek advice from Wildbase on of sources external to WOR. Although reasonable care was taken in its how to induce moult. preparaon, WOR does not guarantee or warrant the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or currency of the informaon or its usefulness in achieving any purpose. To the fullest extent permied by law, WOR will not be liable for any Authors: S. Finlayson, B. White, L. Chilvers, G. Frankfurter, G. Finlayson. loss, damage, cost or expense incurred in or arising by reason of any person Thanks to veterinary technicians and veterinary residents in the Wildbase relying on informaon in this fact sheet. Persons should accordingly make and Hospital and to others for their input, feedback and photos. rely on their own assessments and enquiries to verify the accuracy of the Pictures: Unless otherwise credited, all pictures are copyright of Wildbase. informaon provided.