Little Cormorant - description, habitat, interesting facts

The Little Cormorant is the smallest representative of its kind, the bird is very shy, but beautiful and elegant. The Little Cormorant is in the extinction stage today, especially in Russian latitudes. Special value birds of this species for hunters do not represent, however, a large number of individuals die on the background of the total pollution of the environment, a significant part of the birds stuck in fishing nets, burning nest reed during fires is important, etc. What does the cormorant look like, where does it live and what is the bird's lifestyle, let's try to figure it out.

The appearance of the small cormorant

The length of the average bird usually does not exceed half a meter, as it was noted, these are the smallest birds of the cormorant family. The wingspan of a male of medium size is 70-80 cm, moreover, that the wingspan of a large cormorant is almost twice as large.Black plumage with a bright mirror shine and a greenish hue favorably distinguishes individuals of small cormorants from other birds. Cormorant feathers are decorated with small white dots. The head, depending on the age of the cormorant, may be reddish or with a brown tint. The beak and neck of the small cormorant are relatively short, slightly curved. The weight of a bird usually does not exceed one kilogram, is about 700 grams. Paws and beak have a dark gray, almost black shade. In the mating season, changes in color can be noticed — more white drop-like feathers appear.

Habitat of the small cormorant

The Little Cormorant feels great both in freshwater and in saline marine waters. The main thing is that the coast should have dense thickets of reeds, bushes or woody plants. The cormorant loves to build nests in the low-lying parts of the reed. Particularly attractive for birds are small floating islands in the sleeves of rivers with a weak current, clear water and a large number of fish.

Lifestyle small cormorant

Depending on the severity of winter in the region of residence, the small cormorant can be sedentary or migratory. If living conditions change and deteriorate, the cormorant wanders in search of new nesting areas. The cormorants do this easily, because the bird feels great in the air, capable of covering great distances in a short amount of time.

1. Nutrition. The main ration of the small cormorant, like other relatives of this species, is fish. In addition, the small cormorant will not refuse to eat shrimps or amphibians - lizards, frogs, snakes. As a rule, the feathered menu consists of small fish, 10-12 cm - carp, pike, roach, rudd.Having found a good "fish" place, the cormorant will live in these areas until the amount of food begins to decrease. Sometimes cormorants can live all their life in one reservoir. If the fish becomes smaller and the hunt does not bring satisfaction, the cormorants go to new nesting sites, in search of abundant feeding. During the period of starvation or drought, cormorants even fly into the rice fields in search of food.
2. Nesting. The Little Cormorant is monogamous, forms a pair for life. Birds can live in small flocks, but, as a rule, nest together with other species, such as cormorants or frogs. As soon as the male of the cormorant reaches the female, the long process of nest construction begins, in which both birds take part. They bring soft parts of reeds, leaves, twigs, reeds to make a deep semi-circular nest. The bed for laying is so trampled deep into the shrubs that it is simply impossible to find eggs - even the hatching bird is not visible. It becomes a dangerous period when hatched chicks begin to squeak - so they call their parents to feed them. Unfortunately, not only mom and dad can respond, but also birds of prey.The female and male use the nest not for one brood - if it is in good condition, the couple may lay eggs in one place for several years. As a rule, there are about 5 eggs in the clutch, which are shaped like eggs of a cormorant, except for size. Eggs are hatched for about a month, both female and male are involved in the process. At the end of this period, small naked chicks hatch; one parent stays next to them, the other flies out to feed (in turn). In addition, you need to feed and brood - first, babies are given semi-digested food, which the parent regurgitates. When the kids get stronger, they are fed small fish. And only two months later, when the chicks are fully fledged, they will begin to try themselves in flight and feast on the “adult” food.
3. Population The number of small cormorants in Russia is, according to various sources, from 500 to several thousand pairs. The Little Cormorant is listed as endangered in the Red Book. The growth of the population of these birds was observed in the North Caucasus. Today, around the world, explanatory conversations are held with anglers and hunters on the preservation of the small cormorant population.

The cormorant can even be recognized from afar by the characteristic posture - spread wings, which the bird waves to the wind. So the small cormorant dries feathers after a long swim.

Interesting facts about the small cormorant

Birds of this species get along well with other birds, they are absolutely not aggressive, they hide only from predators, which are especially dangerous for the young brood. The Little Cormorant is not only a beautiful bird, but also an entertaining one; it is interesting to observe individuals.

1. The dung of the small cormorant, which contains a high concentration of nitrogen and phosphate, is highly valued, which makes the composition suitable for fertilizing plants. Sometimes small cormorants are specially kept for the production of litter, which is highly valued by farmers. However, in densely populated places the litter is so concentrated that it dies and literally burns out all the vegetation. In some areas, a large amount of excrement has led to the death of entire forests.
2. The cormorant is merciless to fish, it prevents its spawning, especially during the period when chicks appear, because babies need small fish that they can swallow. With the decline in commercial fishing, people began to destroy cormorants, which led to the extinction of some species.
3. Surprisingly, in China and Japan, cormorants were used for fishing.To do this, they caught large and strong individuals, put a ring around their necks, tied them with a rope by their paws. The bird sank into the water, easily caught the fish, but could not swallow it, because it interfered with the ring on the neck. Carefully, the bird was dragged to the boat by the rope and the prey was taken out. During the night, only a couple of cormorants could catch 70-80 kg of fresh fish for a person. After such a “hunt”, the bird, naturally, was fed to the fullest.
4. Often, coastal residents use not only poultry meat and droppings, but also cormorants' feathers on the farm. It is believed that they produce strong household items and beautiful decorations for the home and body.
5. The Little Cormorant can be called a silent bird, since it emits characteristic sounds only in the mating season. By the voice of the small cormorant almost no difference from the great cormorant.
6. Under natural conditions, small cormorants live for about 6-7 years. In artificial habitats, life expectancy increases due to the lack of fasting and predators. The longest life was recorded in the long-eared cormorant in captivity - it was almost 18 years old.

It is quite difficult to distinguish the female from the male of the cormorant; only the size of individuals can indicate the sex - the males are larger.

Today in nature there are almost two dozen varieties of cormorant, six of which can be found in the Russian strip. The Little Cormorant is the smallest, but one of the quickest cormorants, which flies beautifully, swims and skillfully catches fish.

Video: Little Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmeus)