The Double-crested Cormorant
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The Double-crested Cormorant
Description
The Double-crested Cormorant is a large bird measuring 29 to 36 inches in length and has a wing span of up to 4 feet. It is a black bird with a long tail with a slender hooked bill, and a yellowish-orange throat patch. Its feet are webbed. The females are similar in appearance but the juveniles are brown rather than black and their chest and face are white. The double-crested Cormorant can be distinguished from other cormorants by the distinctive kink in their neck during flight. Double-crested Cormorant
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Range and Habitat
The Double-crested Cormorant is a common species and can be found along coastal areas as wells as inland waterways. Its breeding range follows the coast of Alaska southward to Mexico, and from Nova Scotia south to the Bahamas. It will winter along the coast wherever there is open water. Their normal habitat is near fresh or brackish waterways and lakes, estuaries, swamps, and coastlands. Shorebirds of North America, Europe, and Asia
Shorebirds of North America, Europe, and Asia: A Guide to Field Identification (Princeton Field Guides)
Amazon Price: $26.60 (as of 07/10/2009)
Shorebirds of North America, Europe, and Asia is divided into two sections for easy use. The first section shows the shorebirds in standard poses and the second shows them in flight. I prefer this field guide to the others because shorebirds rarely stay still long enough to identify them. With flight illustrations I have a better chance at identifying them.
The Cormarant's are gregarous birds nesting and migrating in huge flocks.
Mating and Nesting
The male Double-crested Cormorant attracts the female's attention by flapping and waving their wings drawing attention to their head-tufts and neck. Once paired, they select a nest site and start building their nest. The nest is built of sticks, twigs and seaweed. It can be placed on the ground, on cliff edges, in trees, or even in a bush. The female will lay 3 to 5 eggs and the brood is incubated by both the male and the female for 35 to 29 days. When the chicks hatch, both parents feed and care for them. They usually fledge between 35 and 40 days. The fledglings depend on their parents for another 4 weeks before going their own way. 
The Fishing Party
Voice
The Double-crested Cormorant is usually silent, but will occasionally emit a deep, guttural grunt.Listen to the voice of the Double-crested Cormorant:
Sound Byte: Double-crested Cormorant, National Park Service
When in persuit of prey, the Double-crested Cormorant will dive deep, sometimes going down 20 to 24 feet or more.
Diet
Double-crested Cormorants are predominately fish eaters, although amphibians and crustaceans will be consumed on occasion. It will swim low in the water, often with just its neck and head visible, and then abruptly diving for its prey. Once the fish is caught in its beak, it surfaces before eating it. It will flip the fish up into the air and swallow it head-first. Indigestible parts are regurgitated as pellets. Double-crested Cormorant
Where's my lunch!
Conservation Status
Cormarants do not have well developed oil glands so their feathers are not waterproof. They are frequently seen perched with their wings held wide as they dry them in the sun.
Selecting a Pair of Bird Watching Binoculars
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Selecting a Pair of Bird Watching Binoculars
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When I look out my window and watch the birds flutter around the birdfeeder, I really don't need a pair of binoculars or a scope to enjoy the sight. I frequently stop by the window and watch the birds for a minute or two between household tasks. (Occ...
Some of My Favorite Waders
Have you seen any intersting birds lately?
AndyPo wrote...
Excellent lens. I occasionally see cormorants on the Thames in London, but not this double crested variety.
Posted June 07, 2009
naturegirl7 wrote...
We see these occasionally in our habitat. Welcome to the Naturally Native Squids group. Don't forget to add your lens links to the appropriate plexos and vote for them.
Posted October 25, 2008
JaguarJulie wrote...
This is the most intriguing bird to watch as it dives down into the water and disappears from view.
Posted October 21, 2008
About the Author
Lensmaster ElizabethJeanAllen, aka Lizzy Jean, has been a member since March 16 2008, has rated 3,690 lenses, favorited 454, and has created 169 lenses from scratch. Lizzy Jean donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund. This member's top-ranked page is "The Mallard Duck". See all my lenses
101 Ways to Help Birds
101 Ways to Help Birds
Amazon Price: $15.56 (as of 07/10/2009)
101 Ways to Help Birds offers 101 ways for individuals to help birds and bird populations as a whole, and it explains how these actions make a difference. Any bird lover knows that birds and animals alike need our help. Without it, we will lose more and we've lost enough as it is.
Resources used to construct this page.
Peterson, T.P. & Peterson, V.M. 2002. Birds of Eastern and Central North America, Fifth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, N.Y.
Carolina Raptor Center
Western North Carolina Nature Center
Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus, Salt Grass Flats
by ElizabethJeanAllen
I tell my students to Learn from the Past, Live in the Present, and Plan for the Future. With Squidoo I can do all three.
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