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Cormorant Facts

Cormorant Facts
A cormorant is a species of aquatic bird, also known as shags, which include about 40 species of birds in the Phalacrocoracidae family. Cormorants are medium to large size birds weighing between 0.77 and 11.02 pounds and they have wing spans ranging from 18 to 39 inches. Most have dark colored feathers and a long, thin, hooked bill. Cormorants have webbed feet and dive from the surface of the water to catch their prey, which includes a diet of fish. Cormorants can dive as deep as 45 meters, and live along coastal regions, building their nests in trees, on cliffs, on the shore, or on islets. There is no distinction between a shag and cormorant, names that were given to two species discovered in Britain.
Interesting Cormorant Facts:
ormorant species in the southern hemisphere have black and white feathers.
The spotted shag of New Zealand is an exception as it has colorful feathers.
Many species of the cormorant or shag have colored skin on their face. The colors found on these species' faces can be red, yellow, orange, and even bright blue. The color becomes brighter when mating season approaches.
Cormorants have four toes on their feet, which are webbed.
Cormorants are fish eaters. They prefer to dine on fish, but also on small eels, and water snakes when available.
When done fishing, cormorants are known to hold their wings out on shore in the sun.
Cormorant feathers are believed to be kept waterproof by their preen gland secretions. Some believe that their feathers are permeable while others believe that water is unable to touch the skin.
Cormorant produce eggs once a year usually and they are usually a chalky blue color.
Young cormorants are fed via regurgitation.
Some cormorants use old blue heron nests to have their young.
Cormorants tend to build nests in colonies and the amount of bird poop they drop can sometimes be so much that trees below are killed or seriously damaged.
Mother and father cormorants take turns keeping the eggs warm. Once they are born both parents also regurgitate fish for the young to eat.
In Asia cormorants have been trained to fish for people, because they are so talented at catching them. Every time the cormorant catches seven fish they are given one to eat.
Once a cormorant has finished eating its meal it regurgitates the indigestible bones and parts.
Cormorants can be harmed by environmental pollution such as oil.
Some of the many species of cormorants include the double-breasted cormorant, little black cormorant, Indian cormorant, European shag, rock shag, Bounty shag, Japanese cormorant, Auckland shag, Cape cormorant, crowned cormorant, Crozet shag, and south Georgia shag.


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