The Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo By: Rosaly Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Ciconiiformes Family: Phalacrococidea Genus: Phalacrocorax Species: carbo

Natural History

Do you want to know what a great cormorant is? It is a really big bird with a long bill. The great cormorant is about 2 to 3 ft long. The great cormorant is the largest of its family. When the female gives birth, it lays about two to six eggs. It is usually found in seas from the Arctic to the tropics. It is also found in inland waters.

Birds need to eat a lot of food to have energy when flying. Back in dinosaur times, there weren’t any mammals. The dinosaurs became extinct and their bodies were buried by the sand. The first bird found was millions of years old. Scientists didn’t really find the bird, all they found was the fossilized skeleton of it. Most scientists think that the bird they found was a dinosaur with wings. Scientists called this bird Archaeopteryx.

Habitat

The great cormorant is found in many habitats. They are found not only on the ocean but also on lakes, wide rivers, flooded waters and lagoons. It has to live near water to find its food. It can also be found far from coasts, feeding in shallow waters.The great cormorant is found around sheltered fresh and salt water from the Arctic to the tropics. They are also found on rocky shores, coastal inlands, and sea cliffs.

Present Status

The great cormorant is a species of concern in the State of Maine.

Physical Description

The great cormorant is a pretty good-sized bird. Its size is 70-90 cm high. It has a long bill. The bill is tipped with a impressive and incredible point. The bill’s mandibles (lower jaw) deliver a crushing bite. The end of the bill is really sharp so it can catch the fish. The bird itself is darker on the breast and neck. The adult’s coloring is entirely black. It has a bare chin which is orange, and has a whitish throat. The young cormorant has a dark brown back and a pale white belly. It also has a deep voice.

Diet & Feeding Habits

The great cormorant eats small fish and insects and drinks fresh water. It also eats frogs and crabs. It is an excellent swimmer and it normally takes it one minute to catch a fish. It swims and chases its prey using its feet as paddles.

The great cormorant is different from many diving birds because it doesn’t have water-repellent wings. The great cormorant stands on rocks or pilings after it has been in the water to let its feathers dry.

Threats

The great cormorant is a species of concern. There are many reasons why it is a species of concern. A few of these reasons are habitat disturbance, oil slicks, and recreation/tourism. People dislike the white bird droppings. The droppings often kill trees and most of the vegetation. Some people will destroy the nests and the birds, so there won’t be any more droppings.

Personal Essay

I think the value of wilderness to modern society is important to the animals. Many animals live in the wilderness. So we have to value it. If we don’t keep it safe then we are going to destroy the habitat of many animals. Something really important is to always keep it clean and not to take things out of it, such as trees. It's important to know that animals are living organisms, too, and we need to respect their habitat.

Do animals eat different animals? Well yes, some animals eat other animals for food; they are call carnivores. The ones that only eat plants are call herbivores and the animals that eat meat and plants are call omnivores.

Bibliography

1.  http://vims.edu/bridge/archive0301.html

2.  http://www.bsc-eoc.org/iba/site.cfm?siteID=NSO57&lang=en