Alternative Name: White-breasted Cormorant [1], Black Cormorant
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, India, January-2017
- Phalacrocorax carbo
Identification
80–100 cm (31½-39½ in)
- Blackish plumage
- White throat
- Yellow gape
- White thigh patch in breeding plumage
Juvenile whitish underparts
Similar Species
Forehead less steep than European Shag. Juvenile/immature Shags both have a white throat. Cormorant always have dark feet and young Shags have paler feet (webs between the toes).
Distribution
Almost worldwide; absent from Antarctica, South America and much of North America. In North America found north of Nova Scotia in breeding season.
Winters south to Florida along the coast. Also winters in small numbers in Lake Ontario.
Taxonomy
Some authorities consider the White-breasted Cormorant of Africa to be a separate species Phalacrocorax lucidus (Lepage, 2007)[2].
Subspecies
There are 6 subspecies[1]:
- P. c. carbo:
- Northern Europe and northern North America; winters to Gulf coast, north-western Africa
- P. c. novaehollandiae:
- Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand and Chatham Islands
- P. c. sinensis:
- P. c. hanedae:
- Honshu Island (Japan)
- P. c. maroccanus:
- Coastal north-western Africa (Morocco to Mauritania)
- P. c. lucidus:
- Africa south of the Sahara and Cape Verde Islands
Habitat
Open water and rocky coastline. Breeds on sea cliffs and on inland trees. .
Behaviour
Often seen perched on rocks, bouys and posts with their wings outspread. Swims low in the water with head raised
Diet
Their diet consists mostly of fish; crustaceans and amphibians are also eaten.
Flight
Flies higher over the water than Shags; flocks forming long lines or V-shapes.
Vocalisation
<flashmp3>Phalacrocorax carbo (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
Gallery
Click images to see larger version
Nominate subspecies
Photo © by Paul Wheeler
Stover, Devon, February-2011
Subspecies P c. sinensis, juvenile
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Keoladeo National Park, India, Dec-2015
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Birdwatchers Pocket Guide ISBN 1-85732-804-3
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved July 2014)
- BF Member Observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Great Cormorant. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 2 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Great_Cormorant
External Links
