Pygmy Cormorant vs Black-faced Cormorant

Microcarbo pygmaeus compared with Phalacrocorax fuscescens

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Pygmy Cormorant Black-faced Cormorant
Scientific Name Microcarbo pygmaeus Phalacrocorax fuscescens
Order Suliformes Suliformes
Family Phalacrocoracidae Phalacrocoracidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length
Wingspan 40.2 cm (15.8 in) 52.8 cm (20.8 in)
Weight 693.3333333333334 g (24.46 oz) 1515.0 g (53.44 oz)
Diet -- --
Clutch Size 2-8 2-3
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Pygmy Cormorant only

Black-faced Cormorant only

None

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Pygmy Cormorant

Least Concern

Black-faced Cormorant

About These Birds

Pygmy Cormorant

45–55 cm. Small; dark brown with chestnut head and neck in breeding; pale yellow throat. Resident across eastern Europe, Middle East, and Central Asia in freshwater lakes and rivers. Vulnerable; declining due to wetland degradation. Feeds on small fish by diving.

Black-faced Cormorant

61 cm. Dark sooty-black throughout; bare black facial skin. Endemic to southern Australian coasts from the Great Australian Bight to Victoria and Tasmania. Feeds on fish in coastal and estuarine habitats. Colonial nester on rocky coastal islands; often associated with seagrass beds.

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