Crowned cormorant

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Crowned cormorant
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Branch	Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vertebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Aves
Sub-class	Neornithes
Order Information
Order	Suliformes
Family Information
Family	Phalacrocoracidae
Genus Information
Genus	Microcarbo
Species Information
Species	M. coronatus
Synonyms	Phalacrocorax coronatus
Population statistics
Population	6,200 (2018 est.)[1]
Conservation status	Near threatened[2]

The crowned cormorant (Microcarbo coronatus) is a species of aquatic bird of the family Phalacrocoracidae, and found in southwestern Africa.

Description[edit]

The crowned cormorant is medium-sized, about 21.4 inches in length, and weigh 23.6 to 31 ounces. Males are larger than females. The plumage of adult birds is almost completely black with fine white speckles on the sides of the head and a reddish area in front of the eyes. The eyes themselves are red, and they have a brownish-to-yellow beak. On the forehead are several long feathers making up a crest, giving the bird its name. Juvenile birds have brown plumage and no crest.

Range and habitat[edit]

The crowned cormorant is found on the Atlantic coastline of southwestern Africa, from northern Namibia to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. It inhabits primarily shallow coastal waters, estuaries, and tidal pools near mainland coastal cliffs and offshore islands, taking advantage of the cold waters of the Benguela Current.

Reproduction[edit]

The crowned cormorant does not have a strictly defined breeding season and lay eggs in every season. However, the majority of broods take place in the spring and summer of the southern hemisphere. The nest is built from kelp, sticks, bones etc. and lined with kelp or feathers; occasionally it is lined with human trash picked up at sea^[3]. The nest is built on an elevated structure like rocks or in trees, but man-made structures are also used. The individual colonies are rather small and typically consist of fewer than 150 individuals, and sometimes mixed with other species breeding at the same sites.

Normally, three eggs are laid at intervals of two days on average, with incubation averaging 23 days. The young birds are fully fledged after 35 days, whereby the asynchronous hatching and the resulting differences in size usually means that only two of the three chicks survive.

Threats[edit]

The crowned cormorant is susceptible to predation and human disturbance, both of which have an impact on the nesting season^[4]; a reduction in cormorant numbers has caused the ICUN to classify this species as "near threatened". Ironically, the protection of the cape fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus) has led to an increase in their own numbers to the point where they have established themselves within cormorant colonies, where they prey upon fledgling chicks and occasionally adults^[5][6]. A second invasive species, the great white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) has largely destroyed the entire nesting colony on Dassen Island during the 2005-07 breeding seasons^[7].

References[edit]

1. ↑ https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22696730/132591355#population
2. ↑ https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22696730/132591355
3. ↑ http://www.the-eis.com/data/literature/Crowned_Cormorant.pdf
4. ↑ https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22696730/132591355#threats
5. ↑ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2989/18142320509504110?journalCode=tams20
6. ↑ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277161585_Cape_Fur_Seal_Arctocephalus_pusillus_predation_on_Cape_Cormorants_Phalacrocorax_capensis_and_other_birds_at_Dyer_Island_South_Africa
7. ↑ https://www.int-res.com/articles/esr2009/9/n009p125.pdf