Neotropic Cormorant

Facts

IUCN LEAST CONCERN (LC)

Facts about this animal

The neotropic cormorant is a large, dark waterbird with a long hooked bill and a long tail. The neck is long and often S-shaped. The adult plumage is mainly black, with a yellow throat patch. Length is about 65 cm, with a wingspan of youth 1 m and a weight of 1 to 1.5 kg. The sexes are similar in appearance and size.

Neotropical cormorants breed in often very large colonies. Breeding occurs all year round with locally varying peaks. Stick nests lined with grass or sea weed are built in trees or bushes, or on rocky ground. A clutch consists of usually 3-4 eggs, which are incubated for about 30 days. The hatchlings are naked and will grow black down.

Neotropical cormorants feed on small fish, frogs, tadpoles, crustaceans and aquatic. insects.

Did you know?
that, after feeding, cormorants need to dry their wings? They do not have oil in their skin to protect their feathers from getting wet, like ducks and other water birds do.

Factsheet
Class	AVES
Order	PELECANIFORMES
Suborder	PELECANI
Family	PHALACROCORACIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Phalacrocorax brasilianus (=olivaceus)
Name (English)	Neotropic Cormorant
Name (French)	Cormoran vigua
Name (German)	Olivenscharbe
Name (Spanish)	Pato yeco
Local names	Portuguese: Biguá
CITES Status	Not listed
CMS Status	Not listed

Photo Copyright by
Hans Hillewaert

Distribution

Distribution
Range	South America, Central America, Mexico and Southern USA
Habitat	Found in a wide variety of aquatic habitats: marshy ponds, coastal waters, inland fresh water and brackish water.
Wild population	This species has a large global population estimated to be 2,000,000 individuals (Wetlands International 2002). Numbers declined sharply in the mid 20th century, but has since recovered.
Zoo population	39 reported to ISIS (2007, Phalacrocorax olivaceus)

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Note 21 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.

Find this animal on ZooLex

Photo Copyright by
Luis Argerich

Why do zoos keep this animal

The neotropic cormorant is not a threatened species in the wild. It is kept primarily for educational purposes to demonstrate one of the ways birds have adapted to aquatic habitats. It can also serve as an ambassador species for these aquatic habitats which, in many cases, are threatened due to pollution, urbanization and other human activities.

How this animal should be kept

Coromorants are kept either in aviaries or in open outdoor enclosures, the latter requiring the application of an acceptable flight restraint method. For up to 6 adults the enclosure should have a land surface of 40 m² and a pool of 40 m² with a minimal average depth of 1 m.

Where the climatic conditions do not allow for keeping the cormorants outdoors all year round, an additional, frostfree indoor enclosure with a minimal surface of 20 m² and a small pool must be provided.

For each additional adult the enclosures should be enlarged by 2 to 3 m².

The diet consists of small freshwater or seafish, alternatively one-day old chicks supplemented with vitamins and mineral salts.