Great Cormorant
Least ConcernPhalacrocorax carbo
Visual Identification
Great Cormorant
Appearance
The Great Cormorant is a large waterbird with predominantly glossy black plumage, often with a greenish or bluish sheen. Adults have a white throat and cheek patch, and during the breeding season, they develop white thigh patches and fine white plumes on the head and neck.
Juveniles are duller brown, with varying amounts of white on the underparts. The bird's distinctive features include its long, hooked bill, bright yellow-orange facial skin, and piercing turquoise-green eyes.
Size
Length
80cm to 100cm
Wingspan
130cm to 160cm
Weight
1.8kg to 3kg
Colours
Males and females have similar plumage
Primary Colour
Black White
Secondary Colour
Brown
Beak Colour
Grey
Leg Colour
Black
Habitat and Distribution
Habitats
Woodland
Garden
Wetland
Coastal
Urban
Farmland
Grassland
Desert
Tundra
Rainforest
Mountain
Savanna
Distribution
Great Cormorants inhabit coastal areas, estuaries, and large inland water bodies across Europe, Asia, Africa, and parts of Australasia. They prefer areas with abundant fish and suitable perching or nesting sites, such as cliffs, islands, or trees near water.
In the UK, they are found along most coastlines and increasingly on inland waters. In North America, they are primarily coastal, with populations along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
Elevation Range
Sea level to 1,500 meters
Climate zones
Temperate, Subtropical, Tropical
Distribution Map
Distribution by Region
Behaviour and Ecology
Bird Attributes
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Diet
Great Cormorants primarily feed on fish, including both marine and freshwater species. They are opportunistic feeders, also consuming crustaceans, amphibians, and occasionally small birds.
These birds dive from the surface, pursuing prey underwater and catching it with their hooked bills.
Behaviour
Great Cormorants are excellent swimmers and divers, propelling themselves underwater with powerful webbed feet to catch fish. They are often seen perched on rocks or posts with wings spread, drying their feathers after diving. These birds are generally social, forming large breeding colonies and sometimes fishing in groups.
Vocalisation
Great Cormorants are generally silent away from breeding colonies. At nesting sites, they produce a variety of grunting, groaning, and hissing sounds. The most common call is a deep, guttural 'grock-grock-grock,' often heard during territorial disputes or courtship displays.
Nesting & Breeding
Great Cormorants typically breed in large, noisy colonies, often alongside other seabirds. Pair formation begins in late winter or early spring, with elaborate courtship displays involving wing-waving and gaping.
Nests are bulky structures made of sticks, seaweed, and other plant material, usually built on cliff ledges, in trees, or on the ground on islands. Females lay 3-4 pale blue eggs with a chalky coating.
Both parents incubate the eggs for about 28-31 days and care for the chicks. Young birds fledge after 50-55 days but remain fed by their parents for several weeks after leaving the nest.
Lifespan
years
The Great Cormorant typically lives for 15 to 20 years.
Like all birds, lifespan can be affected by factors including predation, habitat quality, disease, and access to food sources.
Conservation and Status
Global Conservation Status
While the Great Cormorant is listed as Least Concern globally, some local populations face threats from habitat loss and persecution due to perceived competition with fisheries. Conservation efforts focus on protecting breeding sites and managing human-wildlife conflicts in fishing areas.
Birdwatching Tips
- Look for cormorants perched with spread wings on coastal rocks or inland waterways.
- Observe diving behavior - they submerge completely and can stay underwater for up to a minute.
- Listen for their distinctive grunting calls, especially near breeding colonies.
- In the UK, check reservoirs and gravel pits for inland populations.
Additional Information
Quick Facts
Other names:
Black Cormorant, Large Cormorant
Family:
PhalacrocoracidaePredators
Adult Great Cormorants have few natural predators, but eggs and chicks are vulnerable to gulls, crows, and birds of prey. In some areas, foxes and rats may raid ground nests.
Did You Know?
- Great Cormorants can dive to depths of up to 45 meters in pursuit of fish.
- Their feathers are less waterproof than those of other waterbirds, which reduces buoyancy and helps them dive deeper.
- In some Asian countries, cormorants have been trained for centuries to fish for humans in a practice called cormorant fishing.
- There are over 30 species of cormorants across the world, with just two species, the great cormorant and the common shag, resident in the UK.
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FAQs
What is a group of Cormorants called?
The collective nouns to describe a group of cormorants are:
- a flight of cormorants
- a gulp of cormorants
- a “lett fli” of cormorants
- a paddling of cormorants
- a rookery of cormorants
- a swim of cormorants
Similar Birds
References
- 1
website: BirdLife International. 2019. Phalacrocorax carbo (amended version of 2018 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T22696792A155523636.
View source - 2 3
report, 2015: Wetlands International