# 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. - **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 6 - **Habitat:** Wetlands - **Also known as:** Brazilian Cormorant ![Neotropic Cormorant](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Phalacrocorax_brasilianus_%28Costa_Rica%29.jpg&width=800) Photo: Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Phalacrocorax_brasilianus_%28Costa_Rica%29.jpg) ## 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. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Aves - **Order:** Suliformes - **Family:** Phalacrocoracidae - **Genus:** Phalacrocorax ## 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 - **Underwater Eyesight:** Neotropic Cormorant can see clearly underwater because its eyes adapt to the water's refractive index. - **Efficient Subaquatic Propulsion:** Neotropic Cormorant has large, webbed feet positioned far back on its body that helps them swiftly propel through water. - **Reduced Buoyancy Dive:** Neotropic Cormorant has less preen oil than other water birds, allowing its feathers to get wet, reducing buoyancy to dive deeper. - **Solar Feather Drying:** 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 - **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](https://www.snappit.app/explore/american-alligator) (*Alligator mississippiensis*) — Eggs and chicks are vulnerable to predation near water. - **Eaten by:** [Great Horned Owl](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-horned-owl) (*Bubo virginianus*) — May prey on juveniles or adults, especially at night. ## 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. - [Filter Feeder](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/filter-feeder): Filter feeders obtain nutrients by straining suspended food particles and small organisms from water. - [Piscivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/piscivorous): Piscivorous organisms are animals that primarily subsist on a diet of fish. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/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. - [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. - [Speedster](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/speedster): This trait identifies organisms that exhibit exceptional swiftness in movement for hunting, escape, or travel. ## 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 Neotropic 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 Neotropic Cormorant? 58-74 cm ### What is Neotropic Cormorant's wingspan? 100-120 cm ### How much does Neotropic Cormorant weigh? 1.1-1.5 kg ### How long does Neotropic Cormorant live? 6-12 years ### How fast can Neotropic Cormorant move? 55 km/h ### What does Neotropic Cormorant eat? A skilled underwater hunter, they mainly eat small fish and sometimes amphibians or crustaceans. ### Where is Neotropic Cormorant usually found? Wetlands ## Where to spot - [Fort Brown](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/fort-brown) — US · Historic Site - [McClellan Creek National Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/mcclellan-creek-national-grassland) — Texas, US · National Park - [Brackenridge Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/brackenridge-park) — Texas, US · Park - [Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/centennial-museum-and-chihuahuan-desert-gardens) — US · Botanical Garden - [Downtown Deming Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/downtown-deming-historic-district) — New Mexico, US · Historic District - [Ilha do Mel State Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/ilha-do-mel-state-park) — BR · Park [View all places to see Neotropic Cormorant](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/neotropic-cormorant) ## Watch - [Play video: Neotropic Cormorant](https://www.snappit.app/videos/neotropic-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: [Neotropic Cormorant: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/neotropic-cormorant)