Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)
About the Double-crested Cormorant
The double-crested cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) is a member of the cormorant family of water birds. It is found near rivers and lakes and in coastal areas and is widely distributed across North America, from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska down to Florida and Mexico. Measuring 70–90 cm (28–35 in) in length, it is entirely black except for a bare patch of orange-yellow facial skin and some extra plumage that it exhibits in the breeding season when it grows a double crest in which black feathers are mingled with white. Five subspecies are recognized. It mainly eats fish and hunts by swimming and diving. Its feathers, like all cormorants, are not waterproof, and it must dry them out after spending time in the water. Once threatened by the use of DDT, the numbers of this bird have increased markedly in recent years.
A real field recording of the Double-crested Cormorant. Press play and focus on the rhythm and pitch of each phrase.
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Our streaming copies are mirrored from the original xeno-canto file and transcoded to 96 kbps mono — a modification, so we note it here; the licence for each recording is named in its credit below.
3 recordings on this page · licensed CC BY-SA ×3 · mirrored on this server, free for commercial reuse · recorded in Canada, United States · xeno-canto lists 64 recordings for this species in total.
Similar species
- Flightless CormorantNannopterum harrisiprofile
- Neotropic CormorantNannopterum brasilianumrecording
Species grouped by shared genus, family and range.