Little Black Cormorant
Phalacrocorax sulcirostris
Small all-black cormorant with green eyes. Often forms large flocks both in the air and while foraging on the water. Much smaller than Great Cormorant, and lacks that species’ yellow/white face. Abundant along coasts and inland waterways.
Identification
The little black cormorant is a small cormorant measuring 60–65 cm (23.5–25.5 in) with all black plumage. The back has a greenish sheen. In breeding season, white feathers appear irregularly about the head and neck, with a whitish eyebrow evident. The plumage is a more fade brown afterwards. Males and females are identical in plumage. The long slender bill is grey, and legs and feet black. The iris of the adult is green and the juvenile brown. Immature birds have brown and black plumage.
Taxonomy
The little black cormorant was formally described in 1837 by the German born naturalist Johann Friedrich von Brandt. He placed it in the genus Carbo and coined the binomial name Carbo sulcirostris. The species is now placed in the genus Phalacrocorax that was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. The genus name Phalacrocorax is the Latin word for a cormorant. The specific epithet sulcirostris combines the Latin sulcus meaning "furrow" with -rostris meaning "-billed". The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. The common name in New Zealand is the little black shag.<p>A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2019 found that the little black cormorant was sister to the Indian cormorant. It is estimated that the two species split 2.5–3.2 million years ago during the late Pliocene.
- Scientific name
- Phalacrocorax sulcirostris
- Authority
- (Brandt, JF, 1837)
- Order
- Suliformes
- Family
- Phalacrocoracidae
- Genus
- Phalacrocorax
Range and habitat
The little black cormorant ranges from the Malay Peninsula through Indonesia (but excluding Sumatra) and New Guinea (including the D'Entrecasteaux Islands) and throughout Australia. It is found in New Zealand's North Island. It is a predominantly freshwater species, found in bodies of water inland and occasionally sheltered coastal areas. It is almost always encountered in or near water.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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