Great Cormorant vs Northern Gannet

Phalacrocorax carbo مقارنةً بـ Morus bassanus

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Side-by-Side Comparison

السمة Great Cormorant Northern Gannet
الاسم العلمي Phalacrocorax carbo Morus bassanus
الرتبة Suliformes Suliformes
الفصيلة Phalacrocoracidae Sulidae
حالة الحفاظ Least Concern Least Concern
الطول 90,0 cm (35.4 in) 93,0 cm (36.6 in)
طول الجناح 145,0 cm (57.1 in) 180,0 cm (70.9 in)
الوزن 2600,0 g (91.71 oz) 3000,0 g (105.82 oz)
النظام الغذائي Fish caught by diving from the surface. Pursues prey underwater using powerful feet for propulsion. … Shoaling fish, especially mackerel, herring, and capelin. Plunge-dives from heights of 30 meters at speeds …
عدد البيض في الوضع 1-7 1
Population Trend
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Size Comparison

Body Length
Great Cormorant 90,0 cm
Northern Gannet 93,0 cm
طول الجناح
Great Cormorant 145,0 cm
Northern Gannet 180,0 cm
الوزن
Great Cormorant 2600,0 g
Northern Gannet 3000,0 g
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Habitat Comparison

الموائل المشتركة

Great Cormorant only

Northern Gannet only

بلا

Great Cormorant

Coasts, estuaries, lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. Nests in colonies in trees, on cliffs, or on the ground.

Northern Gannet

Open ocean and coastal waters. Breeds in dense colonies on steep rocky islands and sea stacks.

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Song & Call Comparison

Great Cormorant

الغناء

Deep, guttural grunts and 'karrr' calls at colonies. Bill-clicking and hissing in threat displays. Silent at sea. Colonial noise can be deafening during the breeding season.

Northern Gannet

الغناء

Loud, harsh 'urrah-urrah' grunting and croaking at breeding colonies on sea stacks. Also gives a softer 'karrr' in flight. Large colonies are extremely noisy during the breeding season.

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Geographic Range & Migration

Great Cormorant

Very wide range across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australasia. One of the most widespread cormorant species.

Northern Gannet

North Atlantic, breeding from Newfoundland and Gulf of St. Lawrence to Norway, Iceland, and Britain. Winters at sea south to the tropics.

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حالة الحفاظ

Least Concern

Great Cormorant

Least Concern

Northern Gannet

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How to Tell Them Apart

Great Cormorant

الريش

All black with a bronze-green gloss. White throat patch and white thigh patches in breeding season. Yellow-orange face patch around the bill base.

المنقار

Long, hooked, dark bill with a yellow gape

Northern Gannet

الريش

Brilliant white body with black wingtips and a golden-yellow wash on the head and nape. Blue-grey bill with dark lines and pale blue eye-ring.

المنقار

Long, straight, pointed, pale blue-grey bill with serrated edges

Key Differences

  • • Weight: Great Cormorant (2600g) vs Northern Gannet (3000g)
  • • Length: Great Cormorant (90 cm) vs Northern Gannet (93 cm)
  • • Wingspan: Great Cormorant (145 cm) vs Northern Gannet (180 cm)
  • • Family: Great Cormorant (Phalacrocoracidae) vs Northern Gannet (Sulidae)
  • • Habitat: Great Cormorant prefers Coasts, estuaries, lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. Nests in c; Northern Gannet prefers Open ocean and coastal waters. Breeds in dense colonies on s
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About These Birds

Great Cormorant

The great cormorant is one of the most widespread seabirds in the world. Unlike most waterbirds, cormorants lack fully waterproof plumage, leading to the iconic pose of standing with wings spread open to dry. In Asia, cormorants have been used by fishermen to catch fish for over a thousand years.

Northern Gannet

The northern gannet is a spectacular plunge-diver, folding its two-meter wingspan into an arrow shape to hit the water at up to 100 km/h. Air sacs under the skin and a reinforced skull protect it from the impact. Bass Rock in Scotland hosts over 150,000 gannets, the largest single colony of any seabird in the world.

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