Bank Cormorant

Name

Bank cormorant (Phalacrocorax neglectus)

Family

Phalacrocoracidae

Length

75 cm

Appearance

The bank cormorant is a heavy-bodied black bird with a bronze sheen and webbed feet. The adult has a small crest on the head and usually a white rump and dark brown wings.
The immature bank cormorant is a duller black in colour.

Bank Cormorant Diet

The bank cormorant eats fish and aquatic invertebrates and does most of its foraging alone among kelp beds.

Bank Cormorant Habitat

The bank cormorant generally stays close to the coastline, especially within the kelp zone, standing on small islands and offshore rocks. They rarely move further out to sea.

Bank Cormorant Breeding

In South Africa, the bank cormorant breed nearly all months of the year, except April, August and November. The female lay 2-3 chalky-white eggs which are incubated by both sexes for about 28-32 days.

Bank Cormorant Status

Common resident but endangered.

Where they are found

The bank cormorant is endemic to Southern Africa’s western coast from the west coast of South Africa to the south-western coastline of Swakopmund in Namibia.