Birds · Suliformes · Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant

Phalacrocorax auritus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The double-crested cormorant is the most widespread cormorant in North America, black with a bare orange throat and two tufts of feathers over the eyes during the breeding season. Its population collapsed in the middle of the twentieth century because of DDT and has recovered spectacularly since the pesticide was banned, to the point that it now causes conflict with fisheries and aquaculture in the United States and Canada.

Weight

1.2 kg – 2.5 kg

Size

70 cm – 90 cm

Lifespan

22 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

OceanFreshwaterCarnivore Diurnal Colonial Bird Ocean Freshwater

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Fun facts

It was one of the indicator species for DDT: the pesticide thinned the eggshells until they broke under the weight of the adults, and its recovery after the ban is one of the great environmental success stories of the twentieth century.
Its recovery has been so complete that population control is now authorised in several states because of conflicts with aquaculture, an uncomfortable turn for a species that was once on the brink of collapse.
It spreads its wings in the sun after every dive because its plumage is not waterproof, a characteristic silhouette on any post or buoy on the lakes of North America.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Lakes, rivers, reservoirs, estuaries and coasts of North America and the Caribbean
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: 24 days
Litter / clutch size: 4

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/