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
Content
Description General Info
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
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 thrives predominantly in freshwater environments like slow-flowing rivers, lagoons, swamps, ponds, and even alkaline lakes. Its preferred habitats encompass a range of wetlands, including those along coasts, estuaries, and mangrove swamps. In parts of West Africa, reed Cormorant extends to marine waters. This species adapts well to fluctuating conditions, such as temporary flood zones and drought-affected waterbodies. Reed Cormorant frequently inhabits waters surrounded by fringing vegetation or emergent trees, and nests can be found in trees or on the ground, accommodating various landscapes, from coastal islands to inland waters.
Dite type
Piscivorous
General Info
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.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Gannets and Relatives Family
Cormorants Genus
Lesser Cormorants Species
Reed Cormorant 
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