# Double-crested Cormorant (*Nannopterum auritum*) The Double-crested Cormorant is a sleek bird that loves to dive underwater to catch fish. With its long neck and dark feathers, it can often be seen drying its wings after a swim. - **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 351 - **Habitat:** Coastal areas - **Also known as:** American Cormorant, Crested Cormorant ![Double-crested Cormorant](https://res.cloudinary.com/drieglelr/image/upload/v1771426336/objects/18.jpg) ## Appearance The Double-crested Cormorant is a large, dark water bird with a slender, hooked bill and an orange-yellow throat pouch. Adults develop small feather crests on their head during breeding season, making them distinct from other cormorants. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Aves - **Order:** Suliformes - **Family:** Phalacrocoracidae - **Genus:** Phalacrocorax ## Interesting facts - Baby cormorants are born featherless and completely blind! - Their bones are denser than most birds', helping them sink effortlessly underwater! - They can eat up to 20% of their own weight in fish daily! - They cool down on hot days by rapidly fluttering their gular pouch! ## Special abilities - **Underwater Goggles:** Double-crested Cormorants have a clear nictitating membrane that covers their eyes like goggles, helping them see clearly while diving for fish. - **Wing Dryer:** Double-crested Cormorants spread their wings in the sun to dry because their feathers aren't fully waterproof, which helps regulate buoyancy. - **Gulping Pouch:** Double-crested Cormorants have a large, stretchy gular pouch that helps them hold and swallow entire fish, even big ones! ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 70-90 cm - **Wingspan:** 120-150 cm - **Weight:** 1.2-2.5 kg - **Lifespan:** 5-20 years - **Speed:** 55 km/h - **Clutch Size:** 1-7 - **Incubation:** 25-30 days - **Migration Distance:** 3200 km ## Diet & Feeding These expert fishers use their sharp bills to catch a wide variety of fish and other small aquatic animals. - **Primary Foods:** perch, minnows, carp, eels, crustaceans - **Foraging Method:** Pursuit ## Ecological connections - **Hunts:** [Yellow Perch](https://www.snappit.app/explore/yellow-perch) (*Perca flavescens*) — A common prey fish in freshwater lakes and rivers. - **Hunts:** White Perch (*Morone americana*) — Frequently caught fish in estuarine and coastal areas. - **Eaten by:** [Bald Eagle](https://www.snappit.app/explore/bald-eagle) (*Haliaeetus leucocephalus*) — Predatory bird known to take cormorant nestlings or adults. ## Traits - [Feathered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/feathered): Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers. - [Webbed Feet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/webbed-feet): Characterized by having toes connected by a membrane, typically aiding in swimming. - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Piscivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/piscivorous): Piscivorous organisms are animals that primarily subsist on a diet of fish. - [Coastal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/coastal): Coastal habitats are dynamic environments located along the interface between land and sea, influenced by tides, waves, and saltwater. - [Carnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/carnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of animal tissue. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. - [Keystone Species](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/keystone-species): Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment. - [Migratory](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/migratory): Migratory animals undertake seasonal movements from one region to another, typically in response to changes in climate or food availability. ## Collections - [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/birds) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always watch birds from a distance and don't try to touch them. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Double-crested Cormorant? Compare the silhouette, bill shape, tail length, wing bars and markings around the eyes. The same small brown bird at your feeder can look quite different in breeding plumage, winter plumage or its first year. Bird Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Double-crested Cormorant? 70-90 cm ### What is Double-crested Cormorant's wingspan? 120-150 cm ### How much does Double-crested Cormorant weigh? 1.2-2.5 kg ### How long does Double-crested Cormorant live? 5-20 years ### How fast can Double-crested Cormorant move? 55 km/h ### What does Double-crested Cormorant eat? These expert fishers use their sharp bills to catch a wide variety of fish and other small aquatic animals. ### Where is Double-crested Cormorant usually found? Coastal areas ## Where to spot - [Blackstone Boulevard–Cole Avenue–Grotto Avenue Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/blackstone-boulevard-cole-avenue-grotto-avenue-historic-district) — Rhode Island, US · Historic District - [Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/bolsa-chica-ecological-reserve) — California, US · Nature Reserve - [Broadway-Armory Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/broadway-armory-historic-district) — Rhode Island, US · Historic District - [Brookfield Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/brookfield-park) — Virginia, US · Park - [Burke Lake Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/burke-lake-park) — Virginia, US · Park - [Cape Charles Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/cape-charles-historic-district) — US · Historic District [View all places to see Double-crested Cormorant](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/double-crested-cormorant) ## Watch - [Play video: Double-crested Cormorant](https://www.snappit.app/videos/double-crested-cormorant) - [YouTube](https://www.snappit.app/published_manually) ## More Birds - [Black-crowned Night Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-crowned-night-heron) (*Nycticorax nycticorax*) - [Anna's Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/annas-hummingbird) (*Calypte anna*) - [Great Egret](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-egret) (*Ardea alba*) - [Blue Jay](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-jay) (*Cyanocitta cristata*) --- Source: [Double-crested Cormorant: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/double-crested-cormorant)