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in flight

juvenile

crests

drying

Double-crested Cormorant

Phalacrocorax auritus

MIGRATION

SUMMER

Size:	33" (84 cm); up to 4⅓-foot wingspan
Male:	Large black water bird with a long snake-like neck. Long gray bill with yellow at the base and a hooked tip.
Female:	same as male
Juvenile:	lighter brown with a grayish chest and neck
Nest:	platform, in a colony; male and female build; 1 brood per year
Eggs:	3-4; bluish white without markings
Incubation:	25-29 days; female and male incubate
Fledging:	37-42 days; male and female feed young
Migration:	complete, to southern states, Mexico and Central America
Food:	small fish, aquatic insects
Compare:	Turkey Vulture is similar in size and also perches on branches with wings open to dry in the sun, but it has a naked red head. American Coot lacks the long neck and long pointed bill.

Stan’s Notes: Often seen flying in a large V formation. Usually roosts in large groups in trees near water. Swims underwater to catch fish, holding its wings at its sides. Lacks the oil gland that keeps feathers from becoming waterlogged. To dry off, it strikes an erect pose with wings outstretched, facing the sun. The common name refers to the two crests on its head, which are not usually seen. “Cormorant” comes from the Latin words corvus, meaning “crow,” and L. marinus, meaning “pertaining to the sea,” literally, “Sea Crow.”