The crested cormorant, or Phalacrocorax aristotelis (lat.), Is the smallest of all species considered. These are amazing birds with special distinctive habits. They are individual in their method of fishing, as well as in the adoption of various poses during the mating season. But there are similar signs that define all cormorants. For example, nesting, place of residence and others.
Description
It helps to get acquainted with what the crested cormorant looks like, photo. They can be seen in our article. The bird is the smallest among all cormorants. The length of her body does not exceed 80 cm, and the wingspan is a meter. In weight, birds never gain more than 2 kilograms, even during a plentiful and affordable diet.
Black cormorants have a corresponding shade of plumage with a greenish tint. During the mating season, as well as throughout the entire nesting time, the appearance of the bird changes - a small crest of feathers appears on its head, which rise up.
Cormorants have a long beak. At first it is pink in color, and toward the end it turns yellow. The skin around the eyes is emerald, but it is yellow near the base of the beak.
The abdomen is dark, but only in adults. Young males and females are lighter. In addition, nestlings may differ in shades on the main plumage, which is never observed in adult cormorants.
Spread
Globally crested cormorant lives wherever there is a sea coast. Unlike other similar and related species, he will not be able to live near freshwater bodies of water. It is distributed throughout the Atlantic coast, right up to the Iberian Peninsula. It can also be found in southwestern Africa.
In the Russian Federation, cormorants are found on the
Kola Peninsula, as well as in the north and east of the Black Sea. Near this reservoir on
the Parus rock is a critical habitat for the species. In general, birds can be found throughout the southern part of Russia.
The crested cormorant can also be seen in the Crimea. On some coasts, they normally relate to close proximity with a person, and it is possible to see them in person, and quite close.
Nutrition
Speaking about what cormorants eat, it is initially necessary to consider the way of catching food. He is diving. Therefore, if the reservoir is heavily polluted, then the cormorant simply can not get food.
The bird eats mainly fish. Usually it is a gerbil, smarida, guban and the like. Very rarely, when a cormorant is hungry, he can afford to eat a small crustacean. But on an ongoing basis, he will not be able to eat them, since the digestive system can not cope.
Breeding
During the mating season, the crested cormorant becomes very beautiful, photos can confirm this. Bird nests are located in rocky crevices or ledges with a canopy. They create them from twigs and dry algae. Their nests are massive enough, this is done so that the hatched babies feel comfortable.
The mating season begins in mid-spring, less often in March. In one clutch there can be up to 5 eggs of a pale blue color. The hatching process lasts almost a month, after which chicks appear without plumage and with dark skin. They are also blind, eyes can open only after 2 weeks.
Plumage in babies appears on the 20th day. At first it's fluff. Then it is gradually replaced by coarser feathers.
After a month and a half, the chicks are already fully fledged and ready to leave the nest. Despite the fact that the laying of eggs can reach 5 pieces, there are fewer chicks, a maximum of three. They begin to fly out fully in 3-4 months.
During the nesting period, adults will not fly away from the colony. Therefore, in order to feed themselves, they will need the presence of fish near the shore. This factor negatively affects the conservation of the species.
Lifestyle
The crested cormorant is not such a bird that leads a solitary lifestyle. Usually it settles in colonies. The ideal habitat is the rocky shore of the sea coast. But cormorants do not refuse to create colonies on small islands.
Wintering of the bird takes place at sea, in the immediate vicinity of the nests. Usually cormorants do not fly deep into the mainland, but sometimes this happens. On land, they simply will not be able to feed, so there is no point in moving away from the sea.
If a bird finds suitable living conditions, then it will never begin to look for another option. This means that cormorants are sedentary. Their migration and roaming can only be due to the fact that the reservoir is too polluted.
The crested cormorant is an endangered species in many countries. This is due not only to the fact that previously the bird was caught in large quantities. The fact is that habitats vary in climatic and temperature conditions. Some do not have enough food, again due to human activities. Therefore, it is necessary to make every effort in order to maintain this view.