Click here to learn more about Cormorants:
Double-crested Cormorants are an occasional visitor to the area. When seen, they are usually perched in tall trees and on posts on the edges of the rookery.
Feathers: Black/brown.
Bill: Dark. Yellow/orange skin at base.
Upper bill: Downward hook.
Legs: Dark.
Feet: Dark, webbed.
Black/white crests on behind eyes. (breeding)
Cormorants are typically up to 3 feet tall, with wing spans up to about 4 feet.
Cormorants are often confused with Anhingas. There is an easy mnemonic aid. Cormorants have a downward curve at the end of their bills, like the "C" in Cormorant. Anhingas have pointy sharp bills, like the pointy "A" in Anhinga.
Cormorants, like Anhingas, are water birds. Cormorants float on the surface like a duck, and dive for their prey, unlike Anhingas, which actually swim under the water.
Like Anhingas, Cormorants do not produce as much preening oil, which allows them to more easily submerge themselves. As a result, they are often seen perched with their wings spread, using the sun and wind to dry their feathers.