About 40 species of dark, fish-eating water birds, including the shags. They dive from the surface and swim with their feet, some down to 45 m, and their short wings give them among the highest flying costs of any bird.
Quick answers
What is it?Bird
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inWorldwide
HabitatCoast, Rivers & lakes, Wetland
ColoursBlack, White
SizeMedium
Weight0.35–5 kg
Legs2
Covered inFeathers
Lives incolonies
Lives for6–20 years
Can fly
Can swim
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Coasts and inland waters worldwide, except the central Pacific islands.
- What it eats
- Fish, caught by diving from the surface.
Did you know
Often stands with its wings spread after diving, though nobody agrees exactly why.
Cormorants nest in colonies on coasts, in trees, and on islets and cliffs.
Often confused with
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