Photo: JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/) / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carbo
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) — Seabirds & Tubenoses of Europe & Northern Asia.
Found across 10 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) is a member of the Phalacrocoracidae family found in Africa, Australia & Oceania and Europe & Northern Asia. Adults weigh 2.5 kg. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Suliformes
- Family Phalacrocoracidae Cormorants, Shags
- Genus Phalacrocorax
- Species carbo
Where it lives
Worldwide in temperate and tropical zones, coastal and inland, except in Western Hemisphere where northwestern North Atlantic coast only.
Quick facts
- Weight
- 2.5 kg
- Diet
- Aquatic hunters
- Family
- Phalacrocoracidae
- Order
- Suliformes
- Habitat
- Wetland, lake & coast
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Not Evaluated
Vulnerable
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Great Cormorant hunts aquatic prey such as fish and aquatic invertebrates.
Behaviour
A bird of wetlands, it swims and feeds in and around water.
Migration
The Great Cormorant is partially migratory: some populations move with the seasons while others stay resident year-round.
The Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) is a species of bird in the Phalacrocoracidae family, part of the order Suliformes. Its range spans Africa, Australia & Oceania and Europe & Northern Asia. Its distribution covers PAL, AU, OR, NA, AF worldwide in temperate and tropical zones, coastal and inland, except in Western Hemisphere where nw North Atlantic coast only.
It is a very large bird. Adults weighs around 2.5 kg, with a wing length of about 34 cm and a tail of around 14.8 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 24.5 million km² — a very large global range.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Great Cormorant?
The Great Cormorant is a very large bird that weighs around 2.5 kg.
Where does the Great Cormorant live?
The Great Cormorant is found across Africa, Australia & Oceania and Europe & Northern Asia with a range covering PAL, AU, OR, NA, AF worldwide in temperate and tropical zones, coastal and inland, except in Western Hemisphere where nw North Atlantic coast only, where it is associated with wetlands, lakes and other open water.
What family does the Great Cormorant belong to?
The Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) belongs to the Phalacrocoracidae family, in the order Suliformes.
What does the Great Cormorant eat?
The Great Cormorant hunts aquatic prey such as fish and aquatic invertebrates.
Does the Great Cormorant migrate?
The Great Cormorant is partially migratory: some populations move with the seasons while others stay resident year-round.
Is the Great Cormorant endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Great Cormorant make?
1 real field recording of the Great Cormorant — including its begging call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Great Cormorant's range?
The Great Cormorant has a mapped global range of about 24.5 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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