adult; black plumage; orange-red face and bill (South Africa; 2007-06-30)


Reed Cormorant
Phalacrocorax africanus

Native Range: Africa

Notes: this long-tailed species is the freshwater counterpart of the marine-favoring Crowned Cormorant; it has a similarly small body and a noticeably short, stubby-looking bill; it also has a red iris, unlike some of the larger marine cormorants that have blue or green eyes; its wings have a white-scaled look; no sexual dimorphism, but juveniles are browner than the nearly all-black adults.

sunning; note white scaling on wings; long tail (South Africa; 2007-06-30)
still drying its wings (South Africa; 2007-06-30)

juvenile preening; much browner than adults (South Africa; 2007-06-30)