Great Cormorant - Black Death

Great Cormorant

A large, goose-sized, aquatic bird with almost entirely black plumage, an elongated beak with a hook. The underside of the "face" is white, and during the breeding season, there are more or less abundant narrow white feathers on the head and upper neck, which fall out already during the incubation period. In breeding plumage, there is a white spot on the body in the thigh area. In autumn plumage, the top of the head and neck are black, with no white spots on the sides. It differs in flight from geese and other waterfowl, as well as from loons, by its black coloration and long rounded tail. When swimming, the tail is lowered and not visible. The flight is quite light, with relatively infrequent wingbeats. Young birds are brown, with the belly lighter than the top and can be almost white. The light coloration of the belly is retained in one-year-olds. One-year-old and older, but non-mature birds do not have white spots on the sides. Sitting on the shore or on bushes and trees, cormorants often take a distinctive pose, unique to them, when they dry their outstretched wings. Weight 1.7-2.8 kg, length 80-100 cm, wing 31.1-36.4 cm, wingspan 130-160 cm.

Distribution

Inhabits the sea coasts of Europe, the southern half of Asia, Africa, Australia, and the northeast of North America. Breeds along the shores of the Black and Caspian Seas, on Baikal, along the Amur, in Southern Primorye, and around the lakes of Western Siberia, Kazakhstan, and Central Asia. Winters in Iran, along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, in the Black Sea, and in small numbers in Turkmenistan and southern Tajikistan. Found in the Chui Valley and on Issyk-Kul.

Biology

A common, locally rare, migratory breeding bird. Inhabits only fish-rich lakes and reservoirs, sometimes saline. Appears in spring after the water bodies open, in March in southern regions, and in early to mid-April in northern regions. During migration and wandering, it is found in flocks of 5-10 to several hundred birds. Breeds in large colonies, sometimes numbering up to a thousand pairs, but usually fewer. Often nests alongside gray herons, egrets, night herons, pelicans, and other birds. Breeding begins in April. Bulky nests are located among reed thickets, on coastal cliffs, on rocky or sandy islands, on flooded trees, or in plantations on small islands; the nest is built from dry branches or reed stems, and the lining is made of grass and reed leaves; nests are often very close to each other.

Nesting is extended even within a single colony. Fresh eggs have been found from mid to late April to mid-June. Clutches of 3-5 eggs are laid from late April to mid-June. Both parents incubate the clutch for 28-30 days. Young birds begin to fly as early as June. Later, they join flocks and lead a nomadic lifestyle. In Kyrgyzstan, the subspecies is: Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis (Shaw et Nodder, 1801)

Birds