Great Cormorant vs Northern Gannet
Phalacrocorax carbo compared with Morus bassanus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Great Cormorant | Northern Gannet |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Phalacrocorax carbo | Morus bassanus |
| Order | Suliformes | Suliformes |
| Family | Phalacrocoracidae | Sulidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | 90.0 cm (35.4 in) | 93.0 cm (36.6 in) |
| Wingspan | 145.0 cm (57.1 in) | 180.0 cm (70.9 in) |
| Weight | 2600.0 g (91.71 oz) | 3000.0 g (105.82 oz) |
| Diet | 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 … |
| Clutch Size | 1-7 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
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.
Song & Call Comparison
Great Cormorant
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
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.
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.
Conservation Status
Great Cormorant
Northern Gannet
How to Tell Them Apart
Great Cormorant
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.
Long, hooked, dark bill with a yellow gape
Northern Gannet
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.
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
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.