© GW - monacoeye • Gambia, Feb 2013 • All rights reserved

Bird name: Reed Cormorant
Latin: Microcarbo africanus
Other: Long-tailed Cormorant (Helm). Cormoran africain (Fr)
Family: Phalacrocoracidae • Cormorants
Range: Widespread Sub-Saharan Africa.
Similar: Great Cormorant

Regularly seen in creeks in the Gambia.

Below, Reed Cormorant, Gambia, Feb 2013

© GW - monacoeye • Geneva, Feb 2013 • All rights reserved

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
Range: Widespread Europe, Asia and Australasia. Also W Africa.
Similar:

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 near the mouth of the Danube.

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

In Gambia, the lucidus White-Breasted Cormorant race is found. See comments for pic.

Below, Great Cormorant suns wings, Geneva, Feb 2013
More photos...

© Tom C - monacoeye • Cambodia, Feb 2013 • All rights reserved

Bird name: Indian Cormorant
Latin: Phalacrocorax fuscicollis
Other:
Family: Phalacrocoracidae • Cormorants
Range: India, Southeast Asia.
Similar:

Many thanks to Tom C for these pics of Indian Cormorants in Cambodia. Above with Oriental Darter.

Below, Tom C - Indian Cormorant Cambodia, Feb 2013

Copyright: DK/monacoeye • Peru • April 2011 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Red Legged Cormorant
Latin: Phalacrocorax gaimardi
Other: Cormorán gris (Es)
Family: Phalacrocoracidae • Cormorants
Range: Peru, Chile, Argentina
Similar:

A beautiful Red-Legged Cormorant, Paracas, Islas Ballestas, Peru, sent in by Dirk.

Copyright: DK/monacoeye • Peru • April 2011 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Guanay Cormorant
Latin: Leucocarbo bougainvillii
Other: Cormorán guanay (Es)
Family: Phalacrocoracidae • Cormorants
Range: Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina
Similar:

A colony of Guanay Cormorants, Paracas, Islas Ballestas, Peru. Sent in by Dirk.

© Rebecca N - monacoeye • All rights reserved • Los Lobos, Jan 2010

Bird name: Imperial Shag
Latin: Leucocarbo atriceps
Other: Cormorán imperial (Es) • Blue-eyed Shag or Cormorant
Family: Phalacrocoracidae • Cormorants, Shags
Range: Antarctica, South America, Falklands, Heard, South Shetland Is
Similar:

Many thanks to Becky for these shots of a large colony of Imperial Shags on Isla de Los Lobos.

Imperial shags are part of the Blue-eyed Shag complex whose species boundaries are being continually redefined.

More photos...

Copyright: RN/monacoeye • Do not copy without permission • Los Lobos, Jan 2010

Bird name: Rock Shag
Latin: Phalacrocorax magellanicus
Other: Cormorán de cuello negro (Es)
Family: Phalacrocoracidae • Cormorants, Shags
Range: Chile, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, Uruguay, Falklands
Similar:

Rock Shags can quickly be identified by their red facial skin. Seen here on Isla de Los Lobos in the Beagle Channel by Becky.

Copyright: TH/monacoeye • Perth, Australia • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Little Pied Cormorant
Latin: Microcarbo melanoleucos
Other: Little Shag (NZ), Kawaupaka
Family: Phalacrocoracidae • Cormorants
Range: Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia
Similar:

A Little Pied Cormorant in Australia.

Copyright: AT/monacoeye • Point Reyes, December • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Double Crested Cormorant
Latin: Phalacrocorax auritus
Other: Cormorán orejudo (Es)
Family: Phalacrocoracidae • Cormorants
Range: North America to Mexico
Similar:

Thanks to Alasdair for sending this record shot of Double Crested Cormorants resting off Point Reyes.

© monacoeye • Lagoa do Peixe, Brasil • All rights reserved

Bird name: Neotropic Cormorant
Latin: Phalacrocorax brasilianus
Other: Olivaceous Cormorant • Biguá (Br) • Cormorán Neotropical (Es)
Family: Phalacrocoracidae • Cormorants
Range: Southern USA to southern South America
Similar:

The Neotropic Cormorant is widespread in the American tropics and sub-tropics. The photo above was taken in Lagoa do Peixe in southern Brazil, Phalacrocorax brasilianus brasilianus.

Directly below, birds on the Pacific coast of Panama, near Panama City, where there are large colonies.

Further below, the darker birds, seen in Brazil, may be immatures.


Panama City, Panama, May 2010
More photos...

© GW monacoeye • Danube Delta, Romania • May 2009 • All rights reserved

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

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...

032 Phalacrocoracidae • Cormorants - IOC 2.5 - 2010

Microcarbo - split from Phalacrocorax
Microcarbo melanoleucos - Little Pied Cormorant - Widespread Australasia
Microcarbo africanus - Reed Cormorant - Widespread Africa
Microcarbo coronatus - Crowned Cormorant - SW coast
Microcarbo niger - Little Cormorant - Widespread Asia
Microcarbo pygmeus - Pygmy Cormorant - SE Europe

Phalacrocorax gaimardi - Red-legged Cormorant - W coast - was Shag
Phalacrocorax harrisi - Flightless Cormorant - Galápagos Islands - close to Double-crested and Neotropic cormorants
Phalacrocorax neglectus - Bank Cormorant - SW coast
Phalacrocorax punctatus - Spotted Shag - New Zealand
Phalacrocorax featherstoni - Pitt Shag - Chatham Islands
Phalacrocorax penicillatus - Brandt's Cormorant - W coast
Phalacrocorax pelagicus - Pelagic Cormorant - N coasts - New name
Phalacrocorax urile - Red-faced Cormorant - N coasts - Was Phalacrocorax urile
Phalacrocorax brasilianus - Neotropic Cormorant - Widespread Latin America,also S USA
Phalacrocorax auritus - Double-crested Cormorant - Widespread North America, Middle America
Phalacrocorax aristotelis - European Shag - W coasts, Eurasia, also N Africa
Phalacrocorax fuscescens - Black-faced Cormorant - S Australian coast
Phalacrocorax fuscicollis - Indian Cormorant - India, Southeast Asia
Phalacrocorax sulcirostris - Little Black Cormorant - Australasia, also to Indonesia
Phalacrocorax varius - Australian Pied Cormorant - Australia, New Zealand
Phalacrocorax carbo - Great Cormorant - Eurasia, Australasia, Asia, also NE North America, N Africa
Phalacrocorax lucidus - White-breasted Cormorant - W, S, E Africa
Phalacrocorax capillatus - Japanese Cormorant - E Eurasia
Phalacrocorax capensis - Cape Cormorant - S coasts
Phalacrocorax nigrogularis - Socotra Cormorant - Persian Gulf
Phalacrocorax magellanicus - Rock Shag - S coasts

Leucocarbo includes at least 10 core species
Leucocarbo bougainvillii - Guanay Cormorant - W coast
Leucocarbo atriceps - Imperial Shag - coasts, Antarctica, South America, also Heard I, Shetland Is - Species uncertain
Leucocarbo albiventer - King Shag - S South America, Falklands, Marion, Crozet, Prince Edward, and Macquarie Is. South America - King Shag and Imperial Shag uncertain
Leucocarbo verrucosus - Kerguelen Shag - Kerguelen Islands
Leucocarbo carunculatus - Rough-faced Shag - New Zealand, South Island
Leucocarbo chalconotus - Bronze Shag - New Zealand, Stewart Island
Leucocarbo onslowi - Chatham Shag - Chatham Islands
Leucocarbo campbelli - Campbell Shag - Campbell Island
Leucocarbo colensoi - Auckland Shag - Auckland Islands
Leucocarbo ranfurlyi - Bounty Shag - Bounty Island