It has slightly different plumage from other members of its group and occupies a highly specific range, which is why it is recognized as its own species.

The breeding plumage of the Crozet shag features black upperparts with green to bluish sheen on the upper wing-coverts.

[5] The Crozet shag is an island faring bird that is located primarily in the southern Atlantic and Indian Oceans in the region of sub-Antarctica.

The Crozet shag is also able to maintain a wide-ranging diet of squid, octopus, molluscs, crustaceans and fish as a result of its heavily aquatic environment.

[citation needed] Crozet shags are a diving bird in the cold polar waters, but they have little blubber and wettable feathers compared to penguins.