Scientific name: Phalacrocorax aristotelis (Linnaeus, 1761)
Bird group: Gannets and Cormorants
Field characters. 65-80 cm. Smaller than Great Cormorant; body more slender with finer bill, shorter neck and smaller head with steeper forehead. Dark oily-green plumage without white on head or thighs; in breeding season, short, recurved crests on forecrown and nape. Eyes pale bluish green; bare skin of gape and throat deeper yellow than in Cormorant, does not enclose eye. Spreads wings like Cormorant. Juvenile differs from young Cormorant by dark brown plumage with no white (or very little) on breast; bill more slender than in adult and much more so than in juvenile Cormorant.
Voice. A loud, croaking "kroak-kraik-kroak".
Distribution. Locally abundant in sometimes very large colonies.
Habitat. Essentially marine, and confined to rocky coasts. Nests on ledges and in caves and fissures.
Food. Mainly fish, of which the larger ones are brought to the surface before swallowing. Prey is usually obtained by surface-diving.
Eggs. Initially without markings, becoming stained with brown markings during incubation. Ground colour pale blue/greenish. Covered with chalky deposit. Shape subelliptical/long subelliptical. Size 63 x 39 mm (52-72 x 35-41), weight 49 g. In appearance very much like Great Cormorant.