| Pygmy Cormorant (Microcarbo pygmaeus (Pallas, 1773)) |
|
|
|
Scientific name: Microcarbo pygmaeus (Pallas, 1773) Common name: Pygmy Cormorant Other names: Other scientific name: Phalacrocorax pygmeus. French name: Cormoran pygmée Order: Suliformes Family: Phalacrocoracidae Size: Body size: 45 to 55 cm; Wingspan: 80 to 90 cm; Weight : 567 to 870 g. Habitat: Wetlands, lakes, deltas, flooded areas with trees. Food: Small fish caught by diving under water. Nesting: The Pygmy Cormorant breeds in colonies, often with other species. The nest built with twigs and grass is located quite low in a tree or in a reed bed. There are 3 to 6 eggs per clutch. Migration: Partially migratory, the northernmost populations move south in winter. Geographic area: South-eastern Europe and South-western Asia, east to Tajikistan and south to Israel. |
The Pygmy Cormorant is a small cormorant with blackish plumage with dark green and bronze highlights. The breeding plumage has white speckles on the head, neck and underside of the body. The head and neck tend towards reddish brown. The tail is quite long. The head is small and rounded with an abrupt forehead. The bill is short and thick. The neck appears short when the cormorant is perched but it lengthens when swimming. Juveniles are duller and browner in colour. |
| [To know more about the Pygmy Cormorant] [Next picture] [Top] |
|
Our one-day tour in the Danube Delta allowed us to observe some Pygmy Cormorants but in small numbers and always in isolation. Here we notice the elongated neck of the Pygmy Cormorant when it swims. |
| [To know more about the Pygmy Cormorant] [Next picture] [Previous picture] [Top] |
|
We can dream of a better perch and a better background, but we do with what we find. |
| [To know more about the Pygmy Cormorant] [Previous picture] [Top] |
|
Here is a slightly more natural perch. |
André Bon November 2024