Species

Neotropic cormorant

Nannopterum brasilianum

A slim, long-tailed cormorant of the tropics that is spreading into Georgia.

Photo Bernard Gagnon (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (opens in a new tab)

Adaptation

At a glance

Size: About 58 to 73 cm long
Weight: About 1 to 1.5 kg
Habitat: Lakes, ponds, rivers and coastal waters
Diet: Small fish
In Georgia: An uncommon but increasing visitor
Voice: Soft, pig-like grunts
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Smaller and slimmer than a double-crested cormorant; longer tail; small throat patch edged with white, forming a point behind the bill
Told apart from: Double-crested cormorant, which is larger with a rounded orange throat patch
Where to look: With double-crested cormorants on ponds and lakes

Behaviour

Neotropic cormorants dive for small fish and sometimes fish cooperatively, beating the water with their wings to drive fish into shallows.

Why they matter

This is the most widespread cormorant in the Americas, from Mexico to Tierra del Fuego. Its spread north and east in recent decades shows how warming and changing habitats are reshaping bird ranges.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A platform of sticks in trees over water
Eggs — Usually three or four
Incubation — About 25 to 30 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Like other cormorants, it is harmed by fishing line and hooks.

Misconceptions

All cormorants in Georgia are the same species. A smaller, longer-tailed cormorant is now appearing more often.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Present in small numbers	Present	Present	Present; some pairs nest in the region	Present	Present	Present	Present	Present	Present	Present	Present

Where it lives

Recorded in 47 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

United States

If you found one

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