Cormorant

What am I?

I am a sea bird.

Where do I come from?

I spend all year on the Solent coast, it's great here!

A bit about me

There's no missing me! I am a large, prehistoric looking bird with glossy, black feathers, a long neck, and a powerful, hooked beak. I mostly spend my time on the coast, but you can also find me inland in lakes, reservoirs, and rivers. I just love fish, so I'm always diving from the surface of the water to catch them. My feathers aren't waterproof, so you'll often see me standing on perches holding my wings outstretched to dry. I don't mind though because my feathers reduce buoyancy which means that I can dive deeper and catch the best fish!

Fun fact

We are so good at fishing that in some parts of the world, humans have tamed us to fish for them!

Local spotlight

I am fairly common on the Solent, and the UK as a whole holds internationally important numbers of us in the Winter.

Conservation status

I'm  green listed in the UK .

My name might not be listed in the Solent's Special Protection Areas but I am still definitely important for the coastal ecosystem and form part of the waterbird assemblages which these regions are protected for.