Great cormorant

The great cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo, is a large seabird in the family Phalacrocoracidae, breeding widely across the Old World, Australasia and Atlantic North America and feeding at sea in inshore waters, estuaries, and freshwater lakes and rivers. Its plumage is predominantly black with bronze to greenish iridescence on the wings and tail and purple iridescence on the body, with deep sea-green eyes and a stout, hooked bill bearing yellow or red skin at the throat; weight ranges from about 1.5 to 5.3 kilograms and length from 70 to 102 centimeters, with a wingspan of 121 to 160 centimeters, tying it as the second-largest cormorant species. Six subspecies are recognized across its range, and it nests colonially near wetlands, building stick nests in trees or on cliff ledges, foraging by foot-propelled diving to depths of up to 9.5 meters. About 1.2 million birds are counted in Europe in winter; the species was once hunted nearly to extinction but has since recovered, creating ongoing conflict with commercial fisheries, and is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.