Coasts, estuaries, lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. Nests in colonies in trees, on cliffs, or on the ground.
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Song & Call Comparison
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Song & Call Comparison
Great Cormorant
さえずり
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.
Double-crested Cormorant
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Geographic Range & Migration
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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.
Double-crested Cormorant
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Conservation Status Comparison
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保全状況
Least Concern
Great Cormorant
Least Concern
Double-crested Cormorant
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Identification Tips — How to Tell Them Apart
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How to Tell Them Apart
Great Cormorant
羽毛
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.
くちばし
Long, hooked, dark bill with a yellow gape
Double-crested Cormorant
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About Each Bird (Descriptions)
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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.
70–90 cm, wingspan 114–123 cm. Dark with two small orange ear tufts in breeding; orange-yellow facial skin. Widespread across North America and Central America. Highly adaptable; colonial nester. Controversial where it competes with commercial fisheries; feeds almost exclusively on fish.
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Related Comparisons
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More Birds in Family
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