Phalacrocorax auritus
Appearance:
Large - stocky body and long neck
Hook at tip of bill
Orange throat pouch
Immature: (photo to left)
- Grayish-brown
Large - stocky body and long neck
Hook at tip of bill
Orange throat pouch
Immature: (photo to left)
- Grayish-brown
- Pale on throat and chest
Adult: (see additional photos)
- Blackish all over
Adult: (see additional photos)
- Blackish all over
- Orange bare skin on face and throat,
extending up to lores
Listen to its call.
I photographed this bird on a rock just off Cattle Point last week. It was enjoying its solitude during one of our rare sunny periods. After drying its feathers in the breeze, it took off with a heavy wing-beat, flying low over the water.
I read somewhere that cormorants have ancestors reaching all the way back to the time of the dinosaurs, which is certainly believable given their rather prehistoric appearance. This is definitely the oddest looking bird I've encountered thus far.
Learn more about the Double-crested Cormorant.
Additional photos:
Thanks for the help with the "eagle ID", Beth. I had no idea that they did not get their distinctive colouring until the fifth year. We see a lot of birds when paddling and will probably need your "eye" again!
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