Great Cormorant
(Phalacrocorax carbo)

Overview

Summary

© Glen Tepke (www.pbase.com/gtepke)
For additional photos and vocalizations, visit Dendroica. (Link opens in a new window.)

The Great Cormorant is the largest member of its family. It is widespread in Europe and Asia, with a world population of more than 700,000 pairs. However, in North America, it only breeds in a small region of the eastern seaboard from Maine and Nova Scotia to Newfoundland and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, wintering farther south along the east coast (Hatch et al. 2000). In Europe, it occurs extensively inland, but in North America it is confined to salt water. After persecution in the 19th century reduced the Canadian population to a few thousand birds, the population increased in the 20th century and has changed little since 1970 (Milton et al. 1995); there are currently about 11,800 birds. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.

Designations

Population status

Population estimate

Distribution maps

• BirdLife International / NatureServe

Migration strategy, occurrence

Responsibility for conservation of world population

Conservation and management

Cormorants are not protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act so they fall under provincial jurisdiction. Because they are regarded as a pest by some fishermen they continue to suffer from persecution. They are also affected by human-induced mortality from entanglement in fishing gear, reduction in food due to commercial fisheries and marine oil pollution (Milton et al. 1995). Reduction of pollution in marine environments will benefit the species, along with all other marine life. Unlike most seabirds, they rear broods of more than one chick, so they are capable of comparatively rapid population increase.

Bird conservation region strategies

Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:

• conservation concerns (i.e., species vulnerable due to population size, distribution, population trend, abundance, or threats)
• stewardship responsibilities (i.e., species that typify the regional avifauna or have a large proportion of their range or population in the sub-region)
• management concerns (i.e., species that require ongoing management because of their socio-economic importance as game species, or because of their impacts on other species or habitats)
• other concerns (i.e., species deemed a priority by regional experts for other reasons than those listed above or because they are listed as species at risk or concern at the provincial level)

Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.

References

• Hatch, J.J., K.M. Brown, G.G. Hogan and R.D. Morris. 2000. Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Hatch, J.J., K.M. Brown, G.G. Hogan and R.D. Morris. 2000. Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. (Link)
• Milton, G.R., P.J. Austin-Smith and G. J. Farmer. 1995. Shouting at shags: A case study of cormorant management in Nova Scotia. Colonial Waterbirds 18 (Special publication I):91-98.