Great Cormorant

Phalacrocorax carbo

Summary 6

The great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), known as the great black cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the black cormorant in Australia, the large cormorant in India and the black shag further south in New Zealand, is a widespread member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It breeds in much of the Old World and the Atlantic coast of North America.

Taxon biology 7

Great cormorants eat fish and are known for their excellent diving skills. They forage in fresh as well as saline or brackish water. They can rotate their eyes, something most other birds are unable to do. Unlike other water fowl, their plumage is not oily. They absorb lots of water, so they need to spread their wings to dry after a swim. This bird has not had an easy life in the Netherlands. Because it was considered a rival for fishermen, they were shot, poisoned, chased away and even hung in huge numbers,

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Blake Matheson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/34328261@N02/3219052447
  2. (c) User:Butko/Info|year=2007|camera=Olympus Camedia C-740 Ultra Zoom|location=Donetsk Oblast|topic=birds, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Ab_bird_021.jpg
  3. (c) anonymous, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.biopix.com/photos/JOM-Phalacrocorax-lucidus-00003.jpg
  4. (c) Andreas Trepte, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Great_cormorant_immature.jpg
  5. (c) Leo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4086/5213197824_0c99872e6a.jpg
  6. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalacrocorax_carbo
  7. (c) Copyright Ecomare, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/22758449

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