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What the sources say

Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Great Cormorant profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 45 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021

Phalacrocorax carbo. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T22696792A166315940.

The page saysLeast Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).Note: stats.conservationStatus; category read via GBIF's copy of the Red List
The page saysThe Red List assessment rates Phalacrocorax carbo as Least Concern.
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).

Source
02

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology

Phalacrocorax carbo (great cormorant). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.

The page saysA fish-chasing diver with wettable feathers
The source saysgreat cormorants are excellent swimmers, with wettable feathers and low buoyancyNote: tagline
The page sayshang out its wings to dry
The source sayshold their wings in an outstretched position to dry their feathersNote: tagline
The page saysfish-chasing diver
The source saysThey dive in and pursue fish under the water using visionNote: tagline
The page saysCoasts, estuaries, lakes and rivers across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and northeastern North America
The source saysGreat cormorants are found throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and in northeastern coastal North America.Note: stats.habitat
The page saysCoasts, estuaries, lakes and rivers
The source sayssuch as the coasts of oceans and large lakes and riversNote: stats.habitat
The page saysestuaries
The source saysIn Europe, great cormorants are also found in inland, freshwater areas and in coastal estuaries.Note: stats.habitat
The page saysMostly fish under 20 cm long, with some crustaceans eaten rarely
The source saysGreat cormorants eat almost exclusively fish less than 20 cm in length.Note: stats.diet
The page sayswith some crustaceans eaten rarely
The source saysSome crustaceans are also eaten rarely.Note: stats.diet
The page saysA fast, agile underwater swimmer with wettable feathers and low buoyancy
The source saysare fast and agile swimmersNote: stats.superpower
The page saysGreat cormorants are clumsy on land but fast, agile swimmers.
The source saysGreat cormorants are clumsy on land but are fast and agile swimmers.
The page saysThey have wettable feathers and low buoyancy
The source saysexcellent swimmers, with wettable feathers and low buoyancy
The page saysUnderwater it paddles with its feet, tucks its wings away and steers with its tail.
The source saysThey propel themselves underwater with their feet, tucking their wings and steering with their tails.
The page saysMean dive times recorded are 21 to 51 seconds, and deeper water tends to mean longer dives.
The source saysMean dive times have been recorded at 21 to 51 seconds, with dives in deeper water tending to take longer.
The page saysIt hunts by sight, chasing fish anywhere from the surface to the bottom, depending on the prey.
The source saysthey hunt throughout the water column, from the surface to the bottom, depending on the prey. They dive in and pursue fish under the water using visionNote: vision = sight
The page saysIt eats almost exclusively fish under 20 cm long.
The source saysGreat cormorants eat almost exclusively fish less than 20 cm in length.
The page saysSmall fish get eaten underwater, and bigger ones are brought to the surface to be swallowed.
The source sayseating small fish underwater and bringing larger fish to the surface to swallow
The page saysWettable plumage means a lot of time spent drying off and preening.
The source saysBecause their feathers are wettable, great cormorants spend a significant amount of time drying and preening.
The page saysIt flaps its wings, shakes its body when it leaves the water and holds its wings outstretched to dry.
The source saysThey flap their wings and shake their bodies when emerging from the water and hold their wings in an outstretched position to dry their feathers.
The page saysA preening session can last up to 30 minutes.
The source saysThey may preen for up to 30 minutes
The page saysA great cormorant can drink sea water, then clear the extra salt from its body through its salt glands.
The source saysGreat cormorants will drink sea water and can rid themselves of excess salt through their salt glands.
The page saysAn adult is 84 to 90 cm long with a wingspan of 130 to 160 cm and weighs 2.6 to 3.7 kg.
The source saysGreat cormorants are 84 to 90 cm long, with wingspans of 130 to 160 cm. They weigh from 2.6 to 3.7 kg.
The page saysMales are up to 20% heavier than females.
The source saysmales are 5 to 10% longer and up to 20% heavierNote: body
The page saysone of the most widespread cormorants
The source saysGreat cormorants are one of the most widespread of cormorant species
The page saysfound across Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, and along the northeastern coast of North America
The source saysGreat cormorants are found throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and in northeastern coastal North America.
The page saysIn North America it is strongly tied to sea coasts.
The source saysIn North America, great cormorants are strongly associated with marine coastlines
The page saysIn Europe it also lives on inland fresh water and in coastal estuaries
The source saysIn Europe, great cormorants are also found in inland, freshwater areas and in coastal estuaries.
The page sayspeople have trained great cormorants to fish for them, an ancient practice dating back to the 5th century in China
The source saysgreat cormorants are tamed by humans to use to catch fish. This is an ancient practice in east Asia, dating back to the 5th century in China
The page saysA ring or other obstruction around the neck lets the bird catch a fish but not swallow it, and the fisher takes the fish from its throat.
The source saysA ring or other obstruction is placed around the cormorant's neck so that the fish can capture, but not swallow, a fish.Note: removal: 'at which point the fish is removed from the throat'
The page saysthe fisher takes the fish from its throat
The source saysthe fish is removed from the throat
The page saysBreeding birds nest in dense colonies of up to several thousand, though 20 to 200 pairs is more usual.
The source saysthey form dense nesting colonies of up to several thousands of birds (although 20 to 200 pairs is more common)
The page saysAnimal Diversity Web gives a length of 84 to 90 cm, a wingspan of 130 to 160 cm and a weight of 2.6 to 3.7 kg.
The source saysGreat cormorants are 84 to 90 cm long, with wingspans of 130 to 160 cm. They weigh from 2.6 to 3.7 kg.Note: FAQ
The page saysIts feathers are wettable, so after leaving the water it spreads its wings out to let them dry.
The source sayshold their wings in an outstretched position to dry their feathersNote: FAQ; wettable: Because their feathers are wettable; emerging: when emerging from the water
The page saysA fast, agile underwater swimmer with wettable feathers and low buoyancy
The source saysexcellent swimmers, with wettable feathers and low buoyancyNote: stats.superpower
The page saysThe sexes look alike, but males are 5 to 10% longer and up to 20% heavier.
The source saysMales and females are similar in appearance, but males are 5 to 10% longer and up to 20% heavier.Note: FAQ
The page saysA fish-chasing diver with wettable feathers, which has to hang out its wings to dry.
The source saysBecause their feathers are wettable, great cormorants spend a significant amount of time drying and preening.Note: tagline
The page saysNow and then it takes a bigger one, up to 75 cm long or 1.5 kg
The source saysThey occasionally eat larger fish, up to 75 cm long or 1.5 kg.
The page saysmost of its fish are caught in water less than 20 m deep
The source saysFish are taken mostly in shallow water less than 20 m deep
The page saysTamed cormorants also fished for people in England and France in the 17th and 19th centuries.
The source saysTamed great cormorants were used for fishing in England and France in the 17th and 19th centuries.
The page saysUnderwater, a great cormorant tucks its wings away and drives itself with its feet, steering with its tail.
The source saysThey propel themselves underwater with their feet, tucking their wings and steering with their tails.Note: vibe.reason

Source
03

British Trust for Ornithology

BirdFacts: Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo). British Trust for Ornithology.

The page saysa cormorant that survives to breeding age typically lives 11 years and starts breeding at about 3
The source saysTypical life expectancy of bird reaching breeding age 11 years with breeding typically at 3 years
The page saysIn Britain, ringing records show a cormorant that reaches breeding age typically lives 11 years
The source saysTypical life expectancy of bird reaching breeding age 11 yearsNote: FAQ
The page saysthe oldest ringed bird in Britain lived 21 years and 6 months, a record set in 1984
The source saysMaximum age from a ringed bird 21 years, 6 months, 21 days (set in 1984)Note: FAQ

Source
04

AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources

AnAge entry for Phalacrocorax carbo. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

The page saysThe longevity database AnAge lists one banded wild bird that was at least 32.1 years old.
The source saysMaximum longevity 32.1 years (wild)Note: also: One banded individual was found to be at least 32.1 years old

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.