Reed Cormorant: how to recognise it
A bird of Africa. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Lawrence Boatwright · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Microcarbo africanus
- Family
- Cormorants and Shags
- Size
- About 55 cm
- Habitat
- Reedy lakes, rivers and estuaries
- Found in
- Africa
The key marks
Small, slim cormorant with a long tail, a short yellow-orange bill and a red eye; breeding birds show a short crest and silvery speckles on the wings. Great Cormorant is much larger and heavier, with a thick hooked bill and a white chin patch.
Voice
Mostly silent; hisses and croaks at the nest.
Good to know
It dives for small fish in shallow water and nests in colonies in reeds or trees.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Great Cormorant. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in reedy lakes, rivers and estuaries. It is especially common in South Africa. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.