Stats

Lifespan: 6-20 yrs
Size: Large
Diet: Carnivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Colony
Biome: Freshwater wetland
Range: North America
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Herd Safety
Status: Common

About

A large, all-dark waterbird instantly recognised by its bright orange-yellow gular pouch and striking turquoise eyes. Unlike ducks, cormorants lack waterproofing oils and must stand wings outstretched to dry after every dive.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A clutch of eggs is incubated in the nest, kept warm by a brooding parent until the chicks pip free.
2.
hatchling
A naked or downy hatchling is fed in the nest by its parents.
3.
juvenile
A feathered juvenile fledges from the nest and learns to fly and forage.
4.
adult
Fully grown with adult plumage.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Suliformes
Family: Phalacrocoracidae
Genus: Nannopterum
Species: Nannopterum auritum