---
title: "What the sources say about the Great Cormorant | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "45 claims from the Great Cormorant profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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---

# What the sources say about the Great Cormorant (*Phalacrocorax carbo*)

> 45 claims from the Great Cormorant profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Great Cormorant](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/great-cormorant/)

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

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2021-3.rlts.t22696792a166315940.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). (note: stats.conservationStatus; category read via GBIF's copy of the Red List) |
| The Red List assessment rates Phalacrocorax carbo as Least Concern. | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). |

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

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Phalacrocorax_carbo/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A fish-chasing diver with wettable feathers | great cormorants are excellent swimmers, with wettable feathers and low buoyancy (note: tagline) |
| hang out its wings to dry | hold their wings in an outstretched position to dry their feathers (note: tagline) |
| fish-chasing diver | They dive in and pursue fish under the water using vision (note: tagline) |
| Coasts, estuaries, lakes and rivers across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and northeastern North America | Great cormorants are found throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and in northeastern coastal North America. (note: stats.habitat) |
| Coasts, estuaries, lakes and rivers | such as the coasts of oceans and large lakes and rivers (note: stats.habitat) |
| estuaries | In Europe, great cormorants are also found in inland, freshwater areas and in coastal estuaries. (note: stats.habitat) |
| Mostly fish under 20 cm long, with some crustaceans eaten rarely | Great cormorants eat almost exclusively fish less than 20 cm in length. (note: stats.diet) |
| with some crustaceans eaten rarely | Some crustaceans are also eaten rarely. (note: stats.diet) |
| A fast, agile underwater swimmer with wettable feathers and low buoyancy | are fast and agile swimmers (note: stats.superpower) |
| Great cormorants are clumsy on land but fast, agile swimmers. | Great cormorants are clumsy on land but are fast and agile swimmers. |
| They have wettable feathers and low buoyancy | excellent swimmers, with wettable feathers and low buoyancy |
| Underwater it paddles with its feet, tucks its wings away and steers with its tail. | They propel themselves underwater with their feet, tucking their wings and steering with their tails. |
| Mean dive times recorded are 21 to 51 seconds, and deeper water tends to mean longer dives. | Mean dive times have been recorded at 21 to 51 seconds, with dives in deeper water tending to take longer. |
| It hunts by sight, chasing fish anywhere from the surface to the bottom, depending on the prey. | they 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 vision (note: vision = sight) |
| It eats almost exclusively fish under 20 cm long. | Great cormorants eat almost exclusively fish less than 20 cm in length. |
| Small fish get eaten underwater, and bigger ones are brought to the surface to be swallowed. | eating small fish underwater and bringing larger fish to the surface to swallow |
| Wettable plumage means a lot of time spent drying off and preening. | Because their feathers are wettable, great cormorants spend a significant amount of time drying and preening. |
| It flaps its wings, shakes its body when it leaves the water and holds its wings outstretched to dry. | They flap their wings and shake their bodies when emerging from the water and hold their wings in an outstretched position to dry their feathers. |
| A preening session can last up to 30 minutes. | They may preen for up to 30 minutes |
| A great cormorant can drink sea water, then clear the extra salt from its body through its salt glands. | Great cormorants will drink sea water and can rid themselves of excess salt through their salt glands. |
| An adult is 84 to 90 cm long with a wingspan of 130 to 160 cm and weighs 2.6 to 3.7 kg. | Great cormorants are 84 to 90 cm long, with wingspans of 130 to 160 cm. They weigh from 2.6 to 3.7 kg. |
| Males are up to 20% heavier than females. | males are 5 to 10% longer and up to 20% heavier (note: body) |
| one of the most widespread cormorants | Great cormorants are one of the most widespread of cormorant species |
| found across Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, and along the northeastern coast of North America | Great cormorants are found throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and in northeastern coastal North America. |
| In North America it is strongly tied to sea coasts. | In North America, great cormorants are strongly associated with marine coastlines |
| In Europe it also lives on inland fresh water and in coastal estuaries | In Europe, great cormorants are also found in inland, freshwater areas and in coastal estuaries. |
| people have trained great cormorants to fish for them, an ancient practice dating back to the 5th century in China | great 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 |
| A 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. | A 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 fisher takes the fish from its throat | the fish is removed from the throat |
| Breeding birds nest in dense colonies of up to several thousand, though 20 to 200 pairs is more usual. | they form dense nesting colonies of up to several thousands of birds (although 20 to 200 pairs is more common) |
| Animal 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. | Great 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) |
| Its feathers are wettable, so after leaving the water it spreads its wings out to let them dry. | hold their wings in an outstretched position to dry their feathers (note: FAQ; wettable: Because their feathers are wettable; emerging: when emerging from the water) |
| A fast, agile underwater swimmer with wettable feathers and low buoyancy | excellent swimmers, with wettable feathers and low buoyancy (note: stats.superpower) |
| The sexes look alike, but males are 5 to 10% longer and up to 20% heavier. | Males and females are similar in appearance, but males are 5 to 10% longer and up to 20% heavier. (note: FAQ) |
| A fish-chasing diver with wettable feathers, which has to hang out its wings to dry. | Because their feathers are wettable, great cormorants spend a significant amount of time drying and preening. (note: tagline) |
| Now and then it takes a bigger one, up to 75 cm long or 1.5 kg | They occasionally eat larger fish, up to 75 cm long or 1.5 kg. |
| most of its fish are caught in water less than 20 m deep | Fish are taken mostly in shallow water less than 20 m deep |
| Tamed cormorants also fished for people in England and France in the 17th and 19th centuries. | Tamed great cormorants were used for fishing in England and France in the 17th and 19th centuries. |
| Underwater, a great cormorant tucks its wings away and drives itself with its feet, steering with its tail. | They propel themselves underwater with their feet, tucking their wings and steering with their tails. (note: vibe.reason) |

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

https://www.bto.org/understanding-birds/birdfacts/cormorant

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| a cormorant that survives to breeding age typically lives 11 years and starts breeding at about 3 | Typical life expectancy of bird reaching breeding age 11 years with breeding typically at 3 years |
| In Britain, ringing records show a cormorant that reaches breeding age typically lives 11 years | Typical life expectancy of bird reaching breeding age 11 years (note: FAQ) |
| the oldest ringed bird in Britain lived 21 years and 6 months, a record set in 1984 | Maximum age from a ringed bird 21 years, 6 months, 21 days (set in 1984) (note: FAQ) |

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

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Phalacrocorax_carbo

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The longevity database AnAge lists one banded wild bird that was at least 32.1 years old. | Maximum longevity 32.1 years (wild) (note: also: One banded individual was found to be at least 32.1 years old) |