Double-crested Cormorant: The Underwater Hunter with Terrible PR
Stay curious, stay kind—and if a bird poops on you today, take it as a sign of good luck.
If you’ve ever seen a dark, long-necked bird standing with its wings spread wide like it’s trying to summon the sun, you’ve encountered a Double-crested Cormorant. This posture has fueled myths, complaints, and general suspicion— but in reality, it’s just a bird drying off after an impressive fishing shift.
Efficient, adaptable, and unapologetically good at catching fish, the Double-crested Cormorant is one of North America’s most successful aquatic birds—and one of its most controversial.
Double-crested Cormorant Basics
- Scientific name: Nannopterum auritum
- Family: Cormorants and shags (Phalacrocoracidae)
- Length: 28–35 inches
- Wingspan: 45–48 inches
- Lifespan: Up to 22 years
- Conservation status: Least Concern
The name “double-crested” comes from the short tufts of feathers that appear on either side of the head during breeding season— subtle, seasonal, and easily missed unless you know to look.
Habitat: Wherever Fish Are Available
Double-crested Cormorants are highly flexible and use both freshwater and marine habitats. Common locations include:
- Lakes and reservoirs
- Rivers and estuaries
- Coastal shorelines
- Marshes and wetlands
- Human-made structures near water
They readily perch on docks, pilings, buoys, channel markers, and dead trees— often in conspicuous, awkward-looking groups.
What Do Double-crested Cormorants Eat?
Fish make up nearly the entire diet of the Double-crested Cormorant. They are pursuit divers, chasing prey underwater with remarkable speed and control.
Common prey includes:
- Small to medium-sized fish
- Perch, sunfish, and minnows
- Shad and smelt
- Occasionally amphibians or crustaceans
Their hooked bills are perfectly designed for gripping slippery prey.
How to Identify a Double-crested Cormorant
Identification is straightforward once you know the key features:
- Body: Large, dark, and slender
- Neck: Long and flexible
- Bill: Long with a hooked tip
- Face: Bare orange skin at the throat
- Posture: Often perches with wings spread
In flight, cormorants fly low over water with steady wingbeats and a distinctive kink in the neck.
That Wing-Drying Thing
Cormorants lack the heavy waterproofing found in many other waterbirds. Their feathers absorb water, which reduces buoyancy and improves diving efficiency.
The trade-off? After fishing, they must dry their wings— hence the iconic outstretched pose that has launched a thousand misconceptions.
Breeding and Nesting
Double-crested Cormorants nest in large colonies, often with other waterbirds. Nests are built in trees, on the ground, or on rocky islands.
Colonies can dramatically alter vegetation due to guano accumulation, a fact that contributes to human conflict but is part of natural nutrient cycling.
How to See a Double-crested Cormorant in the Wild
These birds are highly visible if you know where to look. To find them:
- Scan lakes and rivers for low-flying silhouettes
- Check docks, pilings, and dead trees
- Look for birds surfacing with fish
- Visit wetlands year-round in much of their range
Watching them dive and resurface offers a front-row seat to one of nature’s most efficient fishing techniques.
Conservation and Controversy
Double-crested Cormorants suffered major population declines in the mid-20th century due to DDT. After pesticide bans and legal protection, populations rebounded—dramatically.
Their recovery has led to conflict with fisheries, but science consistently shows cormorants are not responsible for most fish population declines.
Why Double-crested Cormorants Matter
Double-crested Cormorants are indicators of aquatic ecosystem health. Their presence reflects fish availability and water quality.
They also represent one of conservation’s paradoxes: when protection works, coexistence becomes the next challenge.
Awkward on land, masterful underwater, the Double-crested Cormorant reminds us that success in nature doesn’t always look elegant— but it works.
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