Double-crested Cormorant
Phalacrocorax auritus
Conservation Status
Data DeficientAves · Suliformes · Phalacrocoracidae
About
The double-crested cormorant is a member of the cormorant family of water birds. It is found near rivers and lakes and in coastal areas and is widely distributed across North America, from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska down to Florida and Mexico. Measuring 70–90 cm (28–35 in) in length, it is entirely black except for a bare patch of orange-yellow facial skin and some extra plumage that it exhibits in the breeding season when it grows a double crest in which black feathers are mingled with white. Five subspecies are recognized. It mainly eats fish and hunts by swimming and diving. Its feathers, like all cormorants, are not waterproof, and it must dry them out after spending time in the water. Once threatened by the use of DDT, the numbers of this bird have increased markedly in recent years.
Fun Fact
According to currently available information, this subspecies is the third largest among the subspecies of the double-crested cormorant.
Quick Facts
Habitat
Range extends north throughout most of north-central North America, from Utah north to Alberta east through the Great Lakes states to Nova Scotia, and south to northern Massachusetts, along with parts of Alaska adjoining Bristol and Kuskokwim Bays.
Diet
Eats fish, but will sometimes also eat amphibians, crustaceans and insects.
Lifespan
To be updated
Threats
- Habitat Change
- Human Disturbance