Cormorant

Cormorant, common name for any of several fish-eating, web-footed water birds that nest in colonies on the coasts of temperate and tropical regions of the world. A few species also live on large island lakes and rivers. They have slender, hooked beaks; long, flexible necks; a patch of bare skin under the mouth; and a stiff tail. Their plumage is usually a glossy black; some have white areas and many have brightly coloured featherless rings around the eyes. They dive and swim deep underwater in pursuit of fish.

In Asia, two species—the great cormorant and the Japanese cormorant—are used for fishing. The birds are trained to capture fish and return, or are retrieved by pulling on a line attached to the bird’s leg. A ring or strap around the cormorant’s neck prevents it from swallowing the catch.

There are three Eurasian species. The great cormorant grows up to 90 cm (37 in) long and breeds on coasts (except in eastern Europe, where inland nest sites are also common). Coastal birds build a nest of seaweed on a ledge, in which the female lays three or four pale blue eggs. Its range extends across the northern Atlantic Ocean to North America. The pygmy cormorant is only 48 cm (19y in) long. It lacks the conspicuous white throat feathers of the great cormorant, and its range is restricted to marshes and freshwater reed beds in eastern Europe. The shag is an exclusively marine species about 75 cm (29y in) long. It is dark green with a long crest.

The most widely distributed North American species is the double-crested cormorant, of both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. It is the only species likely to be seen in the interior of the continent; two additional species are confined to the Pacific coast. The guanay is a prominent member of the seabird colonies that provide guano, valuable as fertilizer, on the coasts of Chile and Peru.

Scientific classification: Cormorants belong to the family Phalacrocoracidae in the order Pelecaniformes. The great cormorant is classified as Phalacrocorax carbo, the pygmy cormorant as Phalacrocorax pygmeus, the shag as Phalacrocorax aristotelis, the Japanese cormorant as Phalacrocorax capillatus, the double-crested cormorant as Phalacrocorax auritus, and the guanay as Phalacrocorax bougainvillii.