The Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) is an Australian bird worth learning as a combination of shape, colour, voice, behaviour and location rather than from a single feature. Australia's largest cormorant, mostly black with a heavy hooked bill, yellow facial skin and pale or white around the throat; breeding adults can show additional white patches. Adults are typically about 80–100 cm, so comparing the bird with familiar nearby species can immediately narrow the identification.
How to identify a Great Cormorant
Australia's largest cormorant, mostly black with a heavy hooked bill, yellow facial skin and pale or white around the throat; breeding adults can show additional white patches. Start with overall body shape and size, then check the head, bill, wings, tail and any strong colour blocks. If the bird is distant, behaviour and habitat may be more reliable than small plumage details.
Powerful diver that pursues fish underwater. Birds commonly perch with wings spread after feeding and may gather at communal roosts. Take a few seconds to watch how the bird moves before trying to name it. Whether it dives, hovers, fans its tail, climbs through foliage or feeds on the ground can eliminate many look-alikes.
Where is the Great Cormorant found in Australia?
Widespread but patchy around Australian coasts, estuaries and larger inland waterways.
Typical habitat includes coastal bays, estuaries, rivers, lakes, reservoirs and wetlands with good fish populations. A useful identification check is to ask whether the habitat makes sense for the species. Australian birds can wander, but a bird seen in its normal habitat and range is a much stronger match than one identified from colour alone.
What does the Great Cormorant eat?
Primarily fish, captured by pursuit diving, with other aquatic prey taken opportunistically. Diet can change with season, rainfall and local food supply, so feeding behaviour is usually more useful as a supporting clue than as a stand-alone identification feature.
When observing wild birds, natural foraging is the best guide. Note whether the bird feeds in flowers, probes the ground, pursues prey in flight, dives underwater or cracks seeds. These behaviours also help explain why the species is associated with particular habitats.
Behaviour and calls
Powerful diver that pursues fish underwater. Birds commonly perch with wings spread after feeding and may gather at communal roosts.
Low guttural calls and croaks, most often heard at colonies rather than from solitary feeding birds. Calls are particularly useful when foliage, distance or poor light makes colour difficult to judge. Record a short description of the sound and the rhythm rather than relying only on a remembered word such as “chirp” or “screech”.
Nesting and breeding
Breeds in colonies, building stick nests in trees, shrubs, cliffs or other suitable sites near water. Breeding timing varies across Australia and may shift with latitude, rainfall and food. If you find an active nest or dependent young, watch from a respectful distance so adults can continue normal feeding and defence behaviour.
Similar birds
Pied Cormorants have clean white underparts and black upperparts. Little Pied Cormorants are much smaller. Australasian Darters have straight spear-like bills and much longer, thinner necks. When two species seem possible, compare several independent clues: bill shape, body proportions, eye or face pattern, tail shape, voice, habitat and geographic range. A photograph from more than one angle is often more useful than one perfect-looking colour match.
Quick identification checklist
For a fast field check, remember four points: size: about 80–100 cm; appearance: Australia's largest cormorant, mostly black with a heavy hooked bill, yellow facial skin and pale or white around the throat; breeding adults can show additional white patches.; habitat: Coastal bays, estuaries, rivers, lakes, reservoirs and wetlands with good fish populations.; and behaviour: Powerful diver that pursues fish underwater. Birds commonly perch with wings spread after feeding and may gather at communal roosts. If all four fit, the identification is much more convincing.
Sources and further reading
BirdGuide species information should be checked against authoritative Australian references as the site is expanded. Useful starting points include BirdLife Australia bird profiles and the Australian Museum bird collection. Image licensing for this page is recorded separately from the species information.
