Double-crested cormorant

Double-crested cormorant photographed in Manitoba

A cormorant at rest has a pose all its own, perched on a rock or a dead snag with its wings held out to dry. Unlike ducks, cormorants do not have fully waterproof feathers, which helps them dive but means they have to dry out after fishing. Up close, the glossy black plumage has a bronze sheen, and the bare skin of the face is a vivid orange.

They are skilled underwater hunters, chasing fish with strong swimming strokes and a hooked bill. Cormorants nest in colonies, in trees or on the ground on islands, and they return to Manitoba lakes in April. They are strong fliers, travelling in V-shaped lines. In late fall they leave for the southern United States and the coasts.

To learn more about the double-crested cormorant and its habitat, visit its species page at All About Birds.

Here are some of my favourite frames of this bird.

Field notes in photographs

  • Double-crested cormorant photographed in Manitoba, 1
  • Double-crested cormorant photographed in Manitoba, 2
  • Double-crested cormorant photographed in Manitoba, 3
  • Double-crested cormorant photographed in Manitoba, 4
  • Double-crested cormorant photographed in Manitoba, 5
  • Double-crested cormorant photographed in Manitoba, 7
  • Double-crested cormorant photographed in Manitoba, 8
  • Double-crested cormorant photographed in Manitoba, 9
  • Double-crested cormorant photographed in Manitoba, 10
  • Double-crested cormorant photographed in Manitoba, 11
  • Double-crested cormorant photographed in Manitoba, 12
  • Double-crested cormorant photographed in Manitoba, 13
  • Double-crested cormorant photographed in Manitoba, 14
  • Double-crested cormorant photographed in Manitoba, 15
  • Double-crested cormorant photographed in Manitoba, 16
  • Double-crested cormorant in profile showing its turquoise eye and orange throat patch against golden reeds, Manitoba
  • Double-crested cormorant with white-tipped breeding crests raised and its head turned, Manitoba
  • Double-crested cormorants, Manitoba
  • Double-crested cormorant with breeding crests perched in trees, Manitoba

Double-crested cormorant Manitoba sightings

Where and when you can find the double-crested cormorant in Manitoba depends on the season and the habitat. You can see more species in the Manitoba birds section.

Map of Manitoba showing where the double-crested cormorant nests, with major cities and lakes
Where to look for the double-crested cormorant in Manitoba through the seasons: nesting in the Boreal Shield, the Boreal Plains, and the Prairies (gold). Habitat regions: National Ecological Framework for Canada. Boundaries: Statistics Canada. Lakes: Natural Earth.

Back to Manitoba bird photography, or see the portfolio.

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