Great Cormorant
Great Cormorant (<em>Phalacrocorax carbo</em>) is a species of Cormorants, Shags (<em>Phalacrocoracidae</em>) in the order Boobies, Cormorants and Frigatebirds.
Overview
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) is a species of Cormorants, Shags (Phalacrocoracidae) in the order Boobies, Cormorants and Frigatebirds. A large black diving bird that spreads its wings to dry after fishing; an expert underwater hunter of fish; often seen perched upright on rocks and posts; historically used by fishermen in China and Japan to catch fish.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Phalacrocorax; binomial: Phalacrocorax carbo; authority: (Linnaeus, 1758). Typical size: 80-100cm. Average lifespan: 10-20 years.
Distribution
Breeding range: the Palearctic, Australasia, the Oriental Region, the Nearctic and Africa.
Conservation Status
This taxon is listed as Extant (living) in the IOC World Bird List.
Remarks
The phylogenies of Kennedy & Spencer (2014) and Kennedy et al. (2020) suggest that P. carbo may be paraphyletic with respect to P. lucidus and P. capillatus, with P. c. sinensis and presumably P. c. hanedae in a clade with P. lucidus, while P. capillatus is sister to other taxa of P. carbo. However, P. capillatus is sister to both P. c. carbo and P. c. sinensis in the phylogeographic study of Marion & Le Gentil (2006).
