Abstract
Reverse mounting (females mounting males) has been observed as a common occurrence in several species of Phalacrocoracidae. In a colony of individually marked European Shags (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) 25% of 261 focally observed mountings were reverse; 17 females (77%) and 16 males (73%) of 22 pairs were observed in reverse mountings. When courtship was divided into three periods before egg laying, we found significant differences in the frequency of reverse mountings and the frequency of pair and non-pair reverse mountings through the three periods. We conclude that reverse mounting is a normal part of courtship behavior in the shag and that it may have the same causes that have been proposed for reverse mounting in other species.
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