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Reed Cormorant

A species of Lesser Cormorants
Scientific name : Microcarbo africanus Genus : Lesser Cormorants

Reed Cormorant, A species of Lesser Cormorants
Botanical name: Microcarbo africanus
Genus: Lesser Cormorants
Reed Cormorant (Microcarbo africanus) Photo By Francesco Veronesi , used under CC-BY-SA-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original

Description

This is a small cormorant at 50–55 cm length and an 85 cm wingspan. It is mainly black, glossed green, in the breeding season. The wing coverts are silvery. It has a longish tail, a short head crest and a red or yellow face patch. The bill is yellow. Sexes are similar, but non-breeding adults and juveniles are browner, with a white belly. Some southern races retain the crest all year round.
Size
60 cm
Nest Placement
Tree
Feeding Habits
Reed Cormorant primarily consumes fish, including dwarf bream and cichlids, with occasional frogs, crustaceans, and aquatic insects. Reed Cormorant engages in pursuit-diving, typically foraging solo.
Habitat
Reed Cormorant predominantly resides in a variety of freshwater environments including rivers, lagoons, and swamps, as well as alkaline lakes. It thrives in diverse wetlands such as coastal estuaries and mangrove swamps and occasionally inhabits marine waters in West Africa. Adaptability to changing water conditions is a hallmark, with a presence in areas with fringing vegetation or trees suitable for nesting.
Dite type
Piscivorous

General Info

Feeding Habits

Bird food type

Behavior

The reed cormorant can dive to considerable depths, but usually feeds in shallow water. It frequently brings prey to the surface. It takes a wide variety of fish. It prefers small slow-moving fish, and those with long and tapering shapes, such as mormyrids, catfishes, and cichlids. It will less frequently eat soles (which can be important in its diet locally), frogs, aquatic invertebrates, and small birds. Two to four eggs are laid in a nest in a tree or on the ground, normally hidden from view by long grass.

Species Status

Not globally threatened.
Reed Cormorant (Microcarbo africanus) Reed Cormorant (Microcarbo africanus) Photo By Francesco Veronesi , used under CC-BY-SA-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original

Scientific Classification

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