Double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)

A group near Las Coloradas - possibly a red knot, laughing gulls and sanderlings, brown pelicans and probably a double-crested cormorant. 2023-04-15 10:10:00 Yucatan NIKON D5600 ISO 400
Exposure 1/2000

Observations

First documented observation: 2023-04-06 in Yucatan. Most recent observation: 2023-04-15 in Yucatan.

Description

Classification: Genus Phalacrocorax (Phalacrocorax); Family Cormorants and shags (Phalacrocoracidae)
This bird appears across the great seas in the following continents: Europe, North America, South America.
General:The double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) is a member of the cormorant family of water birds. Its habitat is near rivers and lakes as well as in coastal areas, and is widely distributed across North America, from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska down to Florida and Mexico. Measuring 70–90 cm (28–35 in) in length, it is an all-black bird which gains a small double crest of black and white feathers in breeding season. It has a bare patch of orange-yellow facial skin. Five subspecies are recognized. It mainly eats fish and hunts by swimming and diving. Its feathers, like those of all cormorants, are not waterproof and it must spend time drying them out after spending time in the water. Once threatened by the use of DDT, the numbers of this bird have increased markedly in recent years. [more]

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