Phalacrocoracidae – Cormorants & shags
We don’t need to drink water: all the water they require is provided by fish that they eat
Cormorants and shags are so adept at hunting that fishermen see them as a threat to fish stocks and have used captive birds to increase their own hauls. These aquatic hunters catch larger fish species by diving from the water’s surface, using their wide webbed feet for propulsion. However, their plumage is easily waterlogged, so the birds must return to shore to dry off between fishing trips.
Cormorants and shags usually nest on the ground, although some species build rough nests in trees. Both the male and female birds of a breeding pair share the parental responsibilities of nest building, incubation of their eggs, and chick-rearing.
Genera in this family
A reminder that birds are the descendants of the great Dinosaurs
