Neotropic Cormorant

Nannopterum brasilianum

The Neotropic Cormorant is a sleek bird that loves to swim and dive for fish. With its shiny black feathers and long neck, it can often be seen drying its wings in the sun after a swim.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Neotropic Cormorant is a sleek, medium-sized waterbird with entirely black plumage, often showing a bronzy sheen. It has a slender body, a long, hooked bill, and a small, often yellow-orange, gular pouch at the base of its bill, differentiating it from larger cormorants.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassAvesOrderSuliformesFamilyPhalacrocoracidaeGenusPhalacrocorax

Neotropic Cormorant

Interesting facts

These birds build nests in trees over water, sometimes in huge colonies!

They use their strong, hooked bill like a spear to catch slippery fish!

They're sometimes called 'water turkeys' due to their long necks and tails!

Unlike most birds, their feathers get wet on purpose to help them dive!

Special abilities

Neotropic Cormorant can see clearly underwater because its eyes adapt to the water's refractive index.

Neotropic Cormorant has large, webbed feet positioned far back on its body that helps them swiftly propel through water.

Neotropic Cormorant has less preen oil than other water birds, allowing its feathers to get wet, reducing buoyancy to dive deeper.

Neotropic Cormorant can spread its wings wide to dry its semi-permeable feathers in the sun, restoring insulation and flight.

Measurements & details

Length: 58-74 cm
Wingspan: 100-120 cm
Weight: 1.1-1.5 kg
Lifespan: 6-12 years
Top Speed: 55 km/h
Clutch Size: 2-4
Incubation: 25-30 days

Diet & Feeding

A skilled underwater hunter, they mainly eat small fish and sometimes amphibians or crustaceans.

Primary Foods

small freshwater fish
small marine fish
crayfish
frogs
aquatic insects

Foraging Method

Pursuit

Ecological connections

hunts

Nile Tilapia

Oreochromis niloticus

An important food source in many habitats.

hunts

Mosquitofish

Gambusia affinis

Preys on these common small, surface-dwelling fish.

eaten by

American Alligator

Alligator mississippiensis

Eggs and chicks are vulnerable to predation near water.

eaten by

Great Horned Owl

Bubo virginianus

May prey on juveniles or adults, especially at night.

Traits

Feathered

Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers.

Webbed Feet

Characterized by having toes connected by a membrane, typically aiding in swimming.

Social

Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.

Filter Feeder

Filter feeders obtain nutrients by straining suspended food particles and small organisms from water.

Piscivorous

Piscivorous organisms are animals that primarily subsist on a diet of fish.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.