Photos copyright: monacoeye • Danube Delta, Romania • May 2009 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Pygmy Cormorant
Latin: Phalacrocorax pygmaeus
Other: Cormoranul mic (Romanian)
Family: Phalacrocoracidae • Cormorants

The Pygmy Cormorant is the smallest of all 40 odd Cormorant species. It is about 50 cm long - in comparison the Great Cormorant is about 80 cm.

Its main breeding area is the Danube Delta and it is classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN list due to loss of habitat.

There are currently an estimated 4000 breeding pairs in the Delta of a total of about 7000 in Europe.

The Pygmy Cormorant is mostly black with small white tufts during breeding season.

It can be distinguished from the Great Cormorant by size if both are seen together (pic below, Pygmy on right of tree). Its bill is much smaller, its tail is proportionally longer due its small body size, and it has no yellow markings on its face. It can also have a brownish neck and looks generally more like a duck or crow than the Great Cormorant does.More photos...

Photos copyright: monacoeye • Brazil • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Neotropic Cormorant
Latin: Phalacrocorax brasilianus
Other: Olivaceous Cormorant • Phalacrocorax olivaceus • Biguá • Cormorán Neotropical • Cormorán • Cormorán Negro • Cuervo de Mar • Yeco • Pato Yeco • Patillo
Family: Phalacrocoracidae • Cormorants

The Neotropic Cormorant is the main cormorant in Brazil, widespread.
More photos...

Photos copyright: monacoeye • Danube Delta, Romania • May 2009 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Great Cormorant
Latin: Phalacrocorax carbo
Other: Great Black Cormorant • Black Cormorant • Black Shag (NZ) • Grand Cormoran (Fr) • Cormoran Commun • Cormoranul mare (Ro)
Family: Phalacrocoracidae • Cormorants

Photo: monacoeye • Mediterranean • 2009

The Great Cormorant is a large bird, widespread in Europe, Asia and Australasia.

The European bird turns white around the head and chest during courtship, with a white patch near the thigh. Juveniles are brown with whitish stomachs. Adults have a yellow stripe below the eye spanning both halves of the back of the jaw, a white cheek, and irises are green.

Great Cormorants can form very large flocks and were seen below fishing with Pelicans in the sea off the Danube Delta with gulls in attendance above.

They swim very low in the water, often with only necks and head sticking out, and famously dry their outstretched wings in the sun.

Cormorants in general, or shags as they are also called, are probably distant relatives of the Pelicans and under the Sibley-Ahlquist system fall under Ciconiiformes.


More photos...