adult summer

adult summer adult winter European distribution Adults on water

Identification

Cormorants are those big, black, rather ugly birds which you often see standing upright on a post, tree or rock with their wings held out to dry. Apart from divers which are smaller with shorter, fatter necks, more gentle heads and less brutish bills, Cormorants could only be mistaken for the smaller but closely related Shags. In summer Cormorants are easily distinguished by conspicuous white patches on their throats and thighs. In winter though you have to rely on differences in shape since Cormorants have a bigger, more triangular head, a flatter crown and more massive bill. Diagnostically the bare yellowish skin around a Cormorant's bill extends around its eye. Juveniles are browner and, unlike young Shags, have a variable amount of white on their bellies. In flight, Cormorants resemble geese but have long diamond shaped tails and tend to fly much higher above the water than Shags.

Habitat

Breeds on rocky headlands and islands, and also, increasingly, by inland lakes, marshes and reservoirs. Winters on coasts, estuaries, rivers, lakes and reservoirs.

Behaviour

Cormorants often stand with their wings held out, to dry.

Migration

Birds often move inland in winter and many also move South, especially to France where about 66,000 winter, mostly on large rivers such as the Rhone, the Loire and the Rhine.

This information is taken from the BirdFile on the appropriate BirdGuides DVD-ROM. As well as video and sounds, our CD- and DVD-ROMs contain additional text on Voice, Sexing, Ageing, Food, Nests and Eggs and more.

For the purposes of our bird news services, Cormorant is classed as Common: common species, including species that are certain or probable escapees from captivity when occurring in the British Isles. (Note that rarity levels are currently applied nationally and may not reflect local variations in abundance.)

Far Ings NR, Lincs 02/09/2010	undisc. site, S Yorks 01/09/2010	Far Ings NR, Lincs 28/08/2010	Heysham, Lancs 27/08/2010	Colwick CP, Notts 23/10/2008
Brundall, Norfolk 28/08/2010	Musselburgh, Lothian 26/08/2010	Musselburgh, Lothian 26/08/2010	undisc. site, Cornwall 17/08/2010	Landguard NR, Suffolk 21/08/2010

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Cormorant breeds in the following countries (Bird News Extra subscribers will see population statistics and information on trends for each country):

Albania
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Britain
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Greenland
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Moldova
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Romania
Russia
Serbia and Montenegro
Slovakia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine

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	The Cormorant - the "black plague" or an example of successful species conservation?	Friday 6th June 2008
	Researchers suggest a new action plan for the Cormorant to smooth the conflict between fishermen and conservationists.   read on
	Cormorant or Shag: How do you tell the difference?	Tuesday 10th April 2007
	Cormorant and Shag are two very similar species, and their separation can be troublesome. However, prepared with a few key features to look for, their identification can be straightforward. Find out how with our latest identification guide.

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