Crowned cormorant

Species of birds

Crowned cormorant

Juvenile crowned cormorant

Conservation status

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]

Scientific classification
Kingdom:  | Animalia
Phylum:  | Chordata
Class:  | Aves
Order:  | Suliformes
Family:  | Phalacrocoracidae
Genus:  | Microcarbo
Species:  |

M. coronatus

Binomial name
Microcarbo coronatus

(Wahlberg, 1855)

Extant (resident)

Synonyms[2]

* Graculus coronatus (Wahlberg, 1855)
* Phalacrocorax coronatus (Wahlberg, 1855)

The crowned cormorant (Microcarbo coronatus) or kuifkopduiker, 'Fringe-head diver', is a small cormorant that is endemic to the waters of the cold Benguela Current of southern Africa. It is an exclusively coastal species and is not found more than 10 km (6 mi) away from land. This species is related to the reed cormorant, and was formerly considered to the same species.

## Distribution

[edit]

It is found from Cape Agulhas north to Swakopmund along the coast of southern Africa.

The population appears to be between 2500 and 2900 breeding pairs. It breeds in small groups, with fewer than 150 individuals per colony being typical. Ringing recoveries show that juveniles may disperse up to 277 km from their nests, and adults move between breeding sites over 500 km apart.

## Description

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The crowned cormorant is 50–55 cm in length. Adults are black with a small crest on the head and a red face patch. Young birds are dark brown above, paler brown below, and lack the crest. They can be distinguished from immature reed cormorants by their darker underparts and shorter tail.

## Behaviour

[edit]

Crowned cormorants feed on slow-moving fish and invertebrates, which they forage for in shallow coastal waters and among kelp beds.[3]

Crowned cormorant in Lycium nest, Robben Island

It builds a nest from kelp, sticks, bones and lines it with kelp or feathers. The nest is usually in an elevated position such as a rocks, trees or man-made structures, but may be built on the ground.[3]

## Conservation

[edit]

Threats to the species include predation of eggs and chicks by kelp gulls and great white pelicans, human disturbance, oiling, and commercial fishing activities, including entanglement in marine debris and plastic fishing gear.[1]

According to the Sasol Birds of Southern Africa and The Eskom Red Data Book of Birds of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland, its status is Near Threatened due to its small distribution area,[4][5] though the IUCN lists it as Least Concern.[1]

## Gallery

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*   *

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c BirdLife International (2021). "Microcarbo coronatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T22696730A181721741. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
2. ^ "Microcarbo coronatus". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
3. ^ a b "CROWNED CORMORANT | Microcarbocoronatus" (PDF). Namcob.
4. ^ Sinclair, Ian; Hockey, Phil; Tarboton, Warwick (2002). SASOL Birds of Southern Africa. Struik. ISBN 1-86872-721-1.
5. ^ R Taylor, Martin; Peacock, Faansie; M Wanless, Ross (2015). The Eskom Red Data Book of Birds of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland (PDF) (1st ed.). South Africa: BirdLife South Africa. ISBN 978-0-620-68259-6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-05-07.

* Johnsgard, Paul A. (1993). Cormorants, Darters, and Pelicans of the World. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 152–155\. ISBN 1-56098-216-0.

## External links

[edit]

* Species report Animal Demography Unit of the University of Cape Town
* Crowned Cormorant \- The Atlas of Southern African Birds

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Order: Suliformes (Phalacrocoraciformes)

Frigatebirds (family: Fregatidae · genus: Fregata)

| Genus|

Species

Fregata|

* Magnificent frigatebird
* Ascension frigatebird
* Christmas Island frigatebird
* Great frigatebird
* Lesser frigatebird

Gannets and boobies (family: Sulidae)

| Genus|

Species

Sula|

* Blue-footed booby
* Brown booby
* Cocos booby
* Masked booby
* Nazca booby
* Peruvian booby
* Red-footed booby

Papasula|

* Abbott's booby

Morus|

* Northern gannet
* Cape gannet
* Australasian gannet

Darters (family: Anhingidae · genus Anhinga)

| Genus|

Species

Anhinga|

* Anhinga
* Oriental darter
* African darter
* Australasian darter

Cormorants (family: Phalacrocoracidae)

| Genus|

Species

Phalacrocorax|

* Socotra cormorant
* Bank cormorant
* Pitt shag
* Spotted shag
* Pied cormorant
* Black-faced cormorant
* Little black cormorant
* Indian cormorant
* Cape cormorant
* Great cormorant
* White-breasted cormorant
* Japanese cormorant (Temminck's cormorant)

Microcarbo|

* Crowned cormorant
* Little cormorant
* Pygmy cormorant
* Little pied cormorant
* Reed cormorant (long-tailed cormorant)

Urile|

* Brandt's cormorant
* Pelagic cormorant
* Red-faced cormorant
* †Spectacled cormorant

Nannopterum|

* Double-crested cormorant
* Neotropic cormorant
* Flightless cormorant

Gulosus|

* European shag

Poikilocarbo|

* Red-legged cormorant

Leucocarbo|

* Rock shag (Magellanic cormorant)
* Guanay cormorant
* New Zealand king shag (rough-faced shag)
* Foveaux shag
* Otago shag
* Chatham shag
* Auckland shag
* Campbell shag
* Bounty shag
* Imperial shag (imperial cormorant, blue-eyed shag)
* Heard Island shag
* Crozet shag
* Antarctic shag
* Kerguelen shag
* Macquarie shag
* South Georgia shag

Taxon identifiers

Microcarbo coronatus|

* Wikidata: Q59472
* Wikispecies: Microcarbo coronatus
* ADW: Phalacrocorax_coronatus
* Avibase: 446E8F9D1E2E281D
* BioLib: 137255
* BirdLife: 22696730
* BOW: crocor1
* CoL: 6RFZQ
* eBird: crocor1
* EoL: 1049411
* GBIF: 6066517
* iNaturalist: 4310
* ITIS: 823998
* IUCN: 22696730
* NCBI: 1523041
* Observation.org: 73411
* Open Tree of Life: 3600675
* Paleobiology Database: 372750
* Xeno-canto: Microcarbo-coronatus

Graculus coronatus|

* Wikidata: Q109557037
* GBIF: 9067805

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*[†]: Extinct