Editing Cormorant

{{Short description|Family of aquatic birds}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Cormorants and shags
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|24|0}} [[Late Oligocene]] – present
| image = Microcarbo melanoleucos Austins Ferry 3.jpg
| image_upright = 1.1
| image_caption = [[Little pied cormorant]]<br />''Microcarbo melanoleucos''
| taxon = Phalacrocoracidae
| authority = [[Ludwig Reichenbach|Reichenbach]], 1850
| type_genus = ''[[Phalacrocorax]]''
| subdivision_ranks = Genera
| subdivision = ''[[Microcarbo]]''<br />
''[[Poikilocarbo]]''<br />
''[[Urile]]''<br />
''[[Phalacrocorax]]''<br />
''[[Gulosus]]''<br />
''[[Nannopterum]]''<br />
''[[Leucocarbo]]''
| synonyms = {{collapsible list|bullets = true
|''Australocorax'' <small>[[Kálmán Lambrecht|Lambrecht]], 1931</small>
|''Compsohalieus'' <small>B. Brewer & [[Robert Ridgway|Ridgway]], 1884</small>
|''Cormoranus'' <small>[[Louis Antoine Francois Baillon|Baillon]], 1834</small>
|''Dilophalieus'' <small>[[Elliott Coues|Coues]], 1903</small>
|''Ecmeles'' <small>Gistel, 1848</small>
|''Euleucocarbo'' <small>Voisin, 1973</small>
|''Halietor'' <small>Heine, 1860</small>
|''Hydrocorax'' <small>[[Louis Pierre Vieillot|Vieillot]], 1819 (''non'' Brisson, 1760: [[Buceros|preoccupied]])</small>
|''Hypoleucus'' <small>[[Ludwig Reichenbach|Reichenbach]], 1852</small>
|''Miocorax'' <small>Lambrecht, 1933</small>
|''Nesocarbo'' <small>Voisin, 1973</small>
|''Notocarbo'' <small>Siegel-Causey, 1988</small>
|''Pallasicarbo'' <small>Coues, 1903</small>
|''Paracorax'' <small>Lambrecht, 1933</small>
|''Pliocarbo'' <small>[[Arkady Tugarinov|Tugarinov]], 1940</small>
|''Stictocarbo'' <small>Bonaparte, 1855</small>
|''Viguacarbo'' <small>Coues, 1903</small> 
|''Anatocarbo'' 
|''Nanocorax'' <br />(see text)
}} }}

'''Phalacrocoracidae''' is a [[family (biology)|family]] of approximately 40 [[species]] of [[aquatic bird]]s commonly known as '''cormorants''' and '''shags'''. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the [[International Ornithologists' Union]] (IOU) adopted a consensus taxonomy of seven [[genus|genera]].<ref name="IOU"/> The [[great cormorant]] (''Phalacrocorax carbo'') and the [[European shag|common shag]] (''Gulosus aristotelis'') are the only two species of the family commonly encountered in Britain and Ireland,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/cormorants-and-shags/ |title=Cormorants and shags |publisher=[[RSPB]] |access-date=27 July 2018}}</ref> and the names "cormorant" and "shag" have been later assigned to different species in the family somewhat haphazardly.

Cormorants and shags are medium-to-large birds, with body weight in the range of {{convert|0.35|-|5|kg}} and wing span of {{convert|60|-|100|cm}}. The majority of species have dark feathers. The bill is long, thin and hooked. Their feet have webbing between all four toes. All species are fish-eaters, catching the prey by diving from the surface. They are excellent divers, and under water they propel themselves with their feet with help from their wings; some cormorant species have been found to dive as deep as {{convert|45|m|-1||}}. Cormorants and shags have relatively short wings due to their need for economical movement underwater, and consequently have among the highest flight costs of any flying bird.<ref name="Elliott et al. 2013">{{cite journal|last1=Elliott|first1=KH|last2=Ricklefs|first2=RE|last3=Gaston|first3=AJ|last4=Hatch|first4=SA|last5=Speakman|first5=JR|last6=Davoren|first6=GK|date=2013|title=High flight costs and low dive costs in auks support the biomechanical hypothesis for flightlessness in penguins|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|volume=110|issue=23|pages=9380–9384|doi=10.1073/pnas.1304838110|pmid=23690614|pmc=3677478|bibcode=2013PNAS..110.9380E |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Cormorants nest in colonies around the shore, on trees, islets or cliffs. They are coastal rather than oceanic birds, and some have colonised inland waters. The original ancestor of cormorants seems to have been a freshwater bird.{{Citation needed|reason=Weasel Words, Broad Conjecture|date=July 2018}} They range around the world, except for the central Pacific islands.

== Names ==
"Cormorant" is a [[contraction (grammar)|contraction]] probably derived from Latin ''corvus marinus'', "sea raven"; in the early 19th century, the similarly derived spelling "corvorant" was sometimes used.<ref name=Yarrell/> [[Cormoran]] is the [[Cornish folklore|Cornish]] name of the sea giant in the tale of [[Jack the Giant Killer]]. Indeed, "sea raven" or analogous terms were the usual terms for cormorants in [[Germanic languages]] until after the [[Middle Ages]]. The French explorer [[André Thévet]] commented in 1558: "the beak [is] similar to that of a cormorant or other corvid", which demonstrates that the erroneous belief that the birds were related to ravens lasted at least to the 16th century.

No consistent distinction exists between cormorants and shags. The names "cormorant" and "shag" were originally the common names of the two species of the family found in [[Great Britain]]{{snd}} ''Phalacrocorax carbo'' (now referred to by ornithologists as the [[great cormorant]]) and ''Gulosus aristotelis'' (the [[European shag]]). "Shag" refers to the bird's crest, which is conspicuous in the European shag, but less so in the great cormorant. As other species were encountered by [[English language|English-speaking]] sailors and explorers elsewhere in the world, some were called cormorants and some shags, sometimes depending on whether they had crests or not. Sometimes the same species is called a cormorant in one part of the world and a shag in another; for example, all species in the family which occur in [[New Zealand]] are known locally as shags, including four non-endemic species known as cormorant elsewhere in their range.{{fact|date=September 2024}} In 1976, [[Gerard Frederick van Tets]] proposed to divide the family into two [[genus|genera]] and attach the name "cormorant" to one and "shag" to the other,{{sfn|van Tets|1976}} but this nomenclature has not been widely adopted.{{fact|date=September 2024}}

== Description ==
[[File:Cormorant yawning.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Great cormorant with hooked bill]]
[[File:Cormorant in Maynaguri.jpg|thumb|[[Little cormorant]] with wings spread]]

Cormorants and shags are medium-to-large [[seabird]]s. They range in size from the [[pygmy cormorant]] (''Microcarbo pygmaeus''), at as little as {{convert|45|cm|in|abbr=on}} and {{convert|340|g|oz|abbr=on}}, to the [[flightless cormorant]] (''Nannopterum harrisi''), at a maximum size {{convert|100|cm|in|abbr=on}} and {{convert|5|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. The recently extinct [[spectacled cormorant]] (''Urile perspicillatus'') was rather larger, at an average size of {{convert|6.3|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. Nearly all the Northern Hemisphere species have mainly dark [[Feather|plumage]], but many Southern Hemisphere species are black and white, and a few (e.g. the [[spotted shag]] of New Zealand) are quite colourful. Many species have areas of coloured skin on the face (the [[Lore (anatomy)|lores]] and the [[gular skin]]) which can be bright blue, orange, red or yellow, typically becoming more brightly coloured in the breeding season. The bill is long, thin, and sharply hooked. Their feet have webbing between all four toes, as in their relatives.

== Habitat ==
[[File:Imperial Shags.jpg|thumb|[[Imperial shag]]s in [[Beagle Channel]]]]
Habitat varies from species to species: some are restricted to seacoasts, while others occur in both coastal and inland waters to varying degrees. They range around the world, except for the central Pacific islands.

== Behaviour ==
All cormorants and shags are fish-eaters, dining on small [[eel]]s, fish, and even water snakes. They dive from the surface, though many species make a characteristic half-jump as they dive, presumably to give themselves a more streamlined entry into the water. Under water they propel themselves with their feet, though some also propel themselves with their wings (see the picture,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nwdiveclub.com/download/file.php?id=22712&mode=view|title=Picture|work=nwdiveclub.com}}</ref> commentary,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nwdiveclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=22970|title=Birds diving beyond 50ft down and going horizontally there?!|work=NWDiveClub.com|publisher=Northwest Dive Club}}</ref> and existing reference video<ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I17YoPc0L2I| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211103/I17YoPc0L2I| archive-date=3 November 2021 | url-status=live|title=Cormorants Deep Sea Dive Caught on Camera|publisher=[[Wildlife Conservation Society]]|date=14 December 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref>). Imperial shags fitted with miniaturized video recorders have been filmed diving to depths of as much as {{convert|80|m|-1||}} to forage on the sea floor.<ref name="Selfies">{{cite journal |last1=Gómez-Laich |first1=Agustina |last2=Yoda |first2=Ken |last3=Zavalaga |first3=Carlos |last4=Quintana |first4=Flavio |title=Selfies of Imperial Cormorants (Phalacrocorax atriceps): What Is Happening Underwater? |journal=PLOS ONE |date=14 September 2015 |volume=10 |issue=9 |pages=e0136980 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0136980 |pmid=26367384 |pmc=4569182 |bibcode=2015PLoSO..1036980G |doi-access=free }}</ref>
[[File:Cormorant at Kanjia Lake, Bhubaneswar.JPG|thumb|Wing-drying behaviour in a little cormorant]]

After fishing, cormorants go ashore, and are frequently seen holding their wings out in the sun. All cormorants have [[Uropygial gland|preen gland]] secretions that are used ostensibly to keep the feathers waterproof. Some sources<ref>Cramp S, Simmons KEL (1977) Handbook of the Birds of the Western Palearctic Volume 1, Oxford University Press {{ISBN|0-19-857358-8}}</ref> state that cormorants have waterproof feathers while others say that they have water-''permeable'' feathers.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=J. Exp. Biol.|year=1968|volume=48|pages=185–189|title=The water repellency and feather structure of cormorants, Phalacrocoracidae|url=http://jeb.biologists.org/content/48/1/185|author=Rijke AM|doi=10.1242/jeb.48.1.185|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Marchant S. M.  |author2=Higgins, P. J. |year=1990|title= Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Vol 1A.|publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref> Still others suggest that the outer plumage absorbs water but does not permit it to penetrate the layer of air next to the skin.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Hennemann, W. W., III|year=1984|title=Spread-winged behaviour of double-crested and flightless cormorants ''Phalacrocorax auritus'' and ''P. harrisi'': wing drying or thermoregulation?|journal= Ibis|volume=126|pages=230–239|doi=10.1111/j.1474-919X.1984.tb08002.x|issue=2}}</ref> The wing drying action is seen even in the flightless cormorant but not in the Antarctic shags<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cook |first1=Timothee R. |last2=Leblanc |first2=Guillaume |title=Why is wing-spreading behaviour absent in blue-eyed shags? |journal=Animal Behaviour |date=September 2007 |volume=74 |issue=3 |pages=649–652 |doi=10.1016/j.anbehav.2006.11.024 }}</ref> or red-legged cormorants. Alternate functions suggested for the spread-wing posture include that it aids [[thermoregulation]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Curry-Lindahl |first1=Kai |title=Spread-Wing Postures in Pelecaniformes and Ciconiiformes |journal=The Auk |date=1970 |volume=87 |issue=2 |pages=371–372 |doi=10.2307/4083936 |jstor=4083936 }}</ref> or digestion, balances the bird, or indicates presence of fish. A detailed study of the great cormorant concluded there is little doubt that it serves to dry the plumage.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Sellers, R. M. |year=1995 |title=Wing-spreading behavior of the cormorant ''Phalacrocorax carbo'' |url=http://www.avibirds.com/pdf/a/aalscholver28.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Ardea |volume=83 |pages=27–36 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017163219/http://www.avibirds.com/pdf/A/Aalscholver28.pdf |archive-date=17 October 2018 |access-date=11 March 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Pelicans, Cormorants and Their Relatives: Pelecanidae, Sulidae, Phalacrocoracidae, Anhingidae, Fregatidae, Phaethontidae|url=https://archive.org/details/pelicanscormoran00nels|url-access=limited|author=Nelson, J. Bryan |publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2005|isbn=0-19-857727-3|pages=[https://archive.org/details/pelicanscormoran00nels/page/n176 162]–163}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bernstein |first1=Neil |last2=Maxson |first2=Stephen |title=Absence of Wing-spreading Behavior in the Antarctic Blue-eyed Shag (phalacrocorax Atriceps Bransfieldensis) |journal=The Auk |date=8 September 2024 |volume=99 |issue=3 |url=https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/auk/vol99/iss3/40/ }}</ref>

Cormorants are colonial nesters, using trees, rocky islets, or cliffs. The [[bird egg|eggs]] are a chalky-blue colour. There is usually one brood a year. Parents [[regurgitation (digestion)|regurgitate]] food to feed their young.

== Taxonomy ==
{{Update section|reason=several paragraphs ("The cormorant family are...", "Several evolutionary groups are...", and all but the last sentence of "In recent years, three...") appear to have been written in the mid-2000s and minimally updated since then, and as such are highly outdated, requiring extensive revision to reflect a modern state of knowledge of the relationships of cormorants and their relatives|date=June 2023}}
The genus ''Phalacrocorax'', from which the [[Family (taxonomy)|family]] name Phalacrocoracidae is derived, is [[Latin]]ised from [[Ancient Greek]] {{lang|grc|φαλακρός}} ''phalakros'' "bald" and {{lang|grc|κόραξ}} ''korax'' "raven".<ref name= job90>{{cite book | last= Jobling | first= James A. | year= 2010| title= The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names |url=https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling/page/n301 | publisher = Christopher Helm | location = London | isbn = 978-1-4081-2501-4 |page =301}}</ref> This is thought to refer to the ornamental white head plumes prominent in Mediterranean birds of this species, or the creamy white patch on the cheeks of adult [[great cormorant]]s, but is certainly not a unifying characteristic of cormorants.

The cormorant family was traditionally placed within the [[Pelecaniformes]] or, in the [[Sibley–Ahlquist taxonomy]] of the 1990s, the expanded [[Ciconiiformes]]. Pelecaniformes in the traditional sense—all waterbird groups with [[Bird feet and legs#Webbing and lobation|totipalmate]] foot webbing—are not a [[monophyletic]] group, even after the removal of the distantly-related [[tropicbird]]s. Their relationships and delimitation – apart from being part of a "higher waterfowl" [[clade]] which is similar but not identical to Sibley and Ahlquist's "pan-Ciconiiformes" – remain mostly unresolved. Notwithstanding, all evidence agrees that the cormorants and shags are closer to the [[darter]]s and [[Sulidae]] (gannets and boobies), and perhaps the pelicans or even [[penguin]]s, than to all other living birds.<ref>Kennedy ''et al.'' (2000), Mayr (2005)</ref>

In recent years, three preferred treatments of the cormorant family have emerged: either to leave all living cormorants in a single genus, ''Phalacrocorax'', or to split off a few species such as the [[imperial shag]] complex (in ''Leucocarbo'') and perhaps the [[flightless cormorant]]. Alternatively, the genus may be disassembled altogether and in the most extreme case be reduced to the [[Great cormorant|great]], [[White-breasted cormorant|white-breasted]] and [[Japanese cormorant]]s.<ref>See {{harvnb|Siegel-Causey|1988}}, Orta (1992) and Kennedy ''et al.'' (2000) for a review of classification schemes.</ref> In 2014, a landmark study proposed a 7 genera treatment, which was adopted by the [[IUCN Red List]] and [[BirdLife International]], and later by the [[International Ornithologists' Union|IOC]] in 2021, standardizing it.<ref name=IOU/><ref name=kennedy2014/>

[[File:Xiphoid_phalacrocorax.jpg|thumb|Occipital crest or ''os nuchale'' in ''Phalacrocorax carbo'']]
The cormorants and the darters have a unique bone on the back of the top of the skull known as the ''os nuchale'' or occipital style which was called a xiphoid process in early literature. This bony projection provides anchorage for the muscles that increase the force with which the lower mandible is closed.<ref name=Yarrell>{{cite journal|title=On the xiphoid bone and its muscles in the Corvorant (Pelecanus carbo) |author=Yarrell, William |pages= 234–237|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2310645| journal=The Zoological Journal| volume=4 |year= 1828}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.1876.tb02572.x|title=1. Notes on the Anatomy of Plotus anhinga|journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London|volume=44|pages=335–345|year=2009|last1=Garrod|first1=A. H.|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/73591}}</ref> This bone and the highly developed muscles over it, the M. adductor mandibulae caput nuchale, are unique to the families Phalacrocoracidae and Anhingidae.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1080/00445096.1978.11447608|title=Functional Anatomy of the Feeding Apparatus of Four South African Cormorants|journal=Zoologica Africana|volume=13|pages=81–102|year=2015|last1=Burger|first1=A E|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1071/MU915086|title=Comparative osteology of Harris's Flightless Cormorant (Nannopterum harrisi)|journal=Emu|volume=15|issue=2|pages=86–114|year=1915|last1=Shufeldt|first1=R.W.|bibcode=1915EmuAO..15...86S |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1944350}}</ref>

Several [[evolution]]ary groups are still recognizable. However, combining the available evidence suggests that there has also been a great deal of [[convergent evolution]]; for example, the cliff shags are a convergent [[paraphyletic]] group. The proposed division into ''Phalacrocorax sensu stricto'' (or [[subfamily]] "Phalacrocoracinae") cormorants and ''Leucocarbo sensu lato'' (or "Leucocarboninae") shags{{sfn|van Tets|1976}}{{sfn|Siegel-Causey|1988}} does have some degree of merit.<ref name = kennedyetal2000>Kennedy ''et al.'' (2000)</ref> The resolution provided by the [[mtDNA]] [[12S rRNA]] and [[ATPase]] [[Protein subunit|subunits]] six and eight [[DNA sequence|sequence]] data<ref name = kennedyetal2000 /> is not sufficient to resolve several groups to satisfaction properly; in addition, many species remain unsampled, the fossil record has not been integrated in the data, and the effects of hybridisation – known in some Pacific species especially – on the DNA sequence data are unstudied.

A multigene [[molecular phylogenetic]] study published in 2014 provided a genus-level phylogeny of the family;<ref name=kennedy2014>{{Cite journal | last1=Kennedy | first1=M. | last2=Spencer | first2=H.G. | date=2014 | title=Classification of the cormorants of the world | journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume=79 | pages=249–257 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2014.06.020| pmid=24994028 | bibcode=2014MolPE..79..249K }}</ref> this is now followed by most authorities, including the [[IOC World Bird List]].<ref name="IOU"/>

{{Clade | style=font-size:100%;line-height:90%
|label1=Phalacrocoracidae
|1={{Clade
   |1=''[[Microcarbo]]'' – Five species
   |2={{clade
      |1=''[[Poikilocarbo]]'' – Red-legged cormorant
      |2={{clade
         |1={{clade
            |1=''[[Urile]]'' – Four species (one extinct)
            |2=''[[Phalacrocorax]]'' – Eleven species
            }}
         |2={{clade
            |1=''[[Gulosus]]'' – European shag
            |2={{clade
               |1=''[[Nannopterum]]'' – Three species
               |2=''[[Leucocarbo]]'' – 15 species
               }}
            }}
         }}
      }}
   }}
}}

===List of genera===
{{Main|List of cormorants}}
[[File:Cormorant diving for food in Morro Bay.jpg|thumb|Cormorant (species unknown) begins its dive]]
[[File:Cormoran Shag.jpg|thumb|Immature [[imperial shag]] (''Leucocarbo atriceps'')]]
[[File:Little Cormorant (Phalacrocorax niger) in Hyderabad W IMG 8389.jpg|thumb|Little cormorant ''(Microcarbo niger)'' in [[Hyderabad, India]]]]
[[File:Guanokormoran (Phalacrocorax bougainvillii) - Weltvogelpark Walsrode 2012-01.jpg|thumb|[[Guanay cormorant]] (''Leucocarbo bougainvillii'') at [[Weltvogelpark Walsrode]]]]
[[File:Japanese cormorant - kanagawa japan - 2024 feb 25.webm|thumb|[[Japanese cormorant]] in [[Kanagawa Prefecture|Kanagawa]], [[Japan]]]]
As per the [[International Ornithologists' Union|IOU]], the [[IUCN Red List]] and [[BirdLife International]], the family contains 7 genera:<ref name="IOU">{{cite web | title=Storks, frigatebirds, boobies, darters, cormorants – IOC World Bird List | website=IOC World Bird List – Version 15.1 | date=2025-02-20 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/bow/storks/ | access-date=2025-04-14}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Image !! Genus  !! Species 
|-
|[[File:Little cormorant (Microcarbo niger) - 20070322.jpg|175px]] || ''[[Microcarbo]]'' {{small|Bonaparte, 1856}} || 
*[[Crowned cormorant]] ''Microcarbo coronatus''
*[[Little cormorant]] ''Microcarbo niger''
*[[Little pied cormorant]] ''Microcarbo melanoleucos''
*[[Pygmy cormorant]] ''Microcarbo pygmeus''
*[[Reed cormorant]] or long-tailed cormorant ''Microcarbo africanus''
*†Serventys' cormorant ''[[Microcarbo serventyorum]]''
Around Indian Ocean, one species extending from Central Asia into Europe. Mostly in freshwater habitat. Small (about 50–60&nbsp;cm long), nondescript black to dark brown (except for one species with white underparts).
|-
|[[File:Phalacrocorax gaimardi 00.jpg|175px]] || ''[[Poikilocarbo]]'' {{small|Boetticher, 1935}} || 
*[[Red-legged cormorant]] ''Poikilocarbo gaimardi''
Subtropical to subantarctic Pacific South America, ranging a bit into the southwestern Atlantic. Maritime. Mid-sized (around 75&nbsp;cm), grey with scalloped wings and contrasting white/yellow/red neck mark and bare parts. Its high-pitched chirping calls are quite unlike those of other cormorants.
|-
|[[File:Red-faced Cormorant on Pribilof Islands, 5-1979 2.jpg|175px]] || ''[[Urile]]'' {{small|Bonaparte, 1855}} || 
*[[Brandt's cormorant]] ''Urile penicillatus''
*[[Red-faced cormorant]] ''Urile urile''
*[[Pelagic cormorant]] ''Urile pelagicus''
*[[Spectacled cormorant]] †''Urile perspicillatus''
Northern Pacific, one species extending into subtropical waters on the American West Coast. Maritime. Smallish to large (65–100&nbsp;cm), generally black with metallic sheen (usually blue/green), in breeding plumage with bright bare facial skin in the eye region and two crests (crown and nape).
|-
|[[File:Great cormorants at the Tama river.JPG|175px]] || ''[[Phalacrocorax]]'' {{small|Brisson, 1760}} ||
*[[Bank cormorant]]'' Phalacrocorax neglectus''
*[[Socotra cormorant]] ''Phalacrocorax nigrogularis''
*[[Pitt shag]]'' Phalacrocorax featherstoni''
*[[Spotted shag]] ''Phalacrocorax punctatus''
*[[Black-faced cormorant]] ''Phalacrocorax fuscescens''
*[[Australian pied cormorant]] ''Phalacrocorax varius''
*[[Little black cormorant]] ''Phalacrocorax sulcirostris''
*[[Indian cormorant]] ''Phalacrocorax fuscicollis''
*[[Cape cormorant]] ''Phalacrocorax capensis''
*[[Japanese cormorant]] or Temminck's cormorant ''Phalacrocorax capillatus''
*[[Great cormorant]] (including [[white-breasted cormorant]] and black shag) ''Phalacrocorax carbo''
Mostly around the Indian Ocean, one species group extending throughout Eurasia and to Atlantic North America. Maritime to freshwater. Size very variable (60–100&nbsp;cm), blackish with metallic sheen (usually bronze to purple) and/or white cheek and thigh patches or underside at least in breeding plumage; usually a patch of bare yellow skin at the base of the bill.
|-
|[[File:Shag, Bangor - geograph.org.uk - 1243477.jpg|175px]] || ''[[European shag|Gulosus]]'' {{small|Montagu, 1813}} || 
*[[European shag]] ''Gulosus aristotelis''
Breeds in the European Arctic, winters in Europe and North Africa. Maritime. Mid-sized (70–80&nbsp;cm), glossy black, in breeding plumage with a forehead crest curled to the front.
|-
|[[File:Double-crested Cormorant (49605889903).jpg|175px]] || ''[[Nannopterum]]'' {{small|Sharpe, 1899}} || 
*[[Flightless cormorant]] ''Nannopterum harrisi''
*[[Neotropic cormorant]] ''Nannopterum brasilianum''
*[[Double-crested cormorant]] ''Nannopterum auritum''
Throughout the Americas. Mostly freshwater. Smallish to large (65–100&nbsp;cm), nondescript brownish-black. One species with white tufts on sides of head in breeding plumage.
|-
|[[File:Phalacrocorax atriceps, Beagle Channel.jpg|175px]] || ''[[Blue-eyed shag|Leucocarbo]]'' {{small|Bonaparte, 1856}} || 
*[[Rock shag]] or Magellanic cormorant ''Leucocarbo magellanicus''
*[[Guanay cormorant]] ''Leucocarbo bougainvillii''
*[[Bounty shag]] ''Leucocarbo ranfurlyi''
*[[New Zealand king shag]] or rough-faced shag ''Leucocarbo carunculatus ''
*[[Chatham shag]] ''Leucocarbo onslowi''
*[[Stewart Island shag]] (including [[Foveaux shag]] ''L. stewarti'') ''Leucocarbo chalconotus''
*[[Auckland shag]] ''Leucocarbo colensoi''
*[[Campbell shag]] ''Leucocarbo campbelli''
*[[Imperial shag]] or blue-eyed shag ''Leucocarbo atriceps''
*[[South Georgia shag]] ''Leucocarbo georgianus''
*[[Crozet shag]] ''Leucocarbo melanogenis''
*[[Antarctic shag]] ''Leucocarbo bransfieldensis''
*[[Kerguelen shag]] ''Leucocarbo verrucosus''
*[[Heard Island shag]] ''Leucocarbo nivalis''
*[[Macquarie shag]] ''Leucocarbo purpurascens''
Generally Subantarctic, but extending farther north in South America; many oceanic-island endemics. Maritime. Smallish to largish (65–80&nbsp;cm), typically black above and white below, and with bare yellow or red skin in the facial region. A southern circumpolar group of several species (the blue-eyed shag complex) is characterised by bright blue orbital skin.
|-
|}

Prior to 2021, the IOU (or formerly the IOC) classified all these species in just three genera: ''Microcarbo'', ''Leucocarbo'', and a broad ''Phalacrocorax'' containing all remaining species; however, this treatment rendered ''Phalacrocorax'' deeply paraphyletic with respect to ''Leucocarbo''. Other authorities, such as the [[The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World|Clements Checklist]], formerly recognised only ''Microcarbo'' as a separate genus from ''Phalacrocorax''.

===Evolution and fossil record===
{{More citations needed section|date=November 2024}}
The details of the evolution of the cormorants are mostly unknown. Even the technique of using the distribution and relationships of a species to figure out where it came from, biogeography, usually very informative, does not give very specific data for this probably rather ancient and widespread group. However, the closest living relatives of the cormorants and shags are the other families of the [[suborder]] [[Sulae]]—[[darter]]s and [[Sulidae|gannets and boobies]]—which have a primarily [[Gondwana]]n distribution. Hence, at least the modern diversity of Sulae probably originated in the southern hemisphere.

While the Leucocarbonines are almost certainly of southern Pacific origin—possibly even the Antarctic which, at the time when cormorants evolved, was not yet ice-covered—all that can be said about the Phalacrocoracines is that they are most diverse in the regions bordering the Indian Ocean, but generally occur over a large area.

Similarly, the origin of the family is shrouded in uncertainties. Some [[Late Cretaceous]] fossils have been proposed to belong with the Phalacrocoracidae:<br />
A [[scapula]] from the [[Campanian]]-[[Maastrichtian]] boundary, about 70 mya (million years ago), was found in the [[Nemegt Formation]] in Mongolia; it is now in the [[Paleontological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences|PIN]] collection.<ref>Kurochkin (1995)</ref> It is from a bird roughly the size of a spectacled cormorant, and quite similar to the corresponding bone in ''Phalacrocorax''. A [[Maastrichtian]] (Late Cretaceous, c. 66 mya) right [[femur]], [[AMNH]] FR 25272 from the [[Lance Formation]] near [[Lance Creek, Wyoming]], is sometimes suggested to be the second-oldest record of the Phalacrocoracidae; this was from a rather smaller bird, about the size of a [[long-tailed cormorant]].<ref>Hope (2002)</ref> However, cormorants likely originated much later, and these are likely misidentifications.<ref name="Kuhl Frankl-Vilches Bakker et al Unbiased Molecular Approach">{{cite journal |last1=Kuhl |first1=Heiner |last2=Frankl-Vilches |first2=Carolina |last3=Bakker |first3=Antje |last4=Mayr |first4=Gerald |last5=Nikolaus |first5=Gerhard |last6=Boerno |first6=Stefan T |last7=Klages |first7=Sven |last8=Timmermann |first8=Bernd |last9=Gahr |first9=Manfred |title=An Unbiased Molecular Approach Using 3′-UTRs Resolves the Avian Family-Level Tree of Life |journal=Molecular Biology and Evolution |date=4 January 2021 |volume=38 |issue=1 |pages=108–127 |doi=10.1093/molbev/msaa191 |pmid=32781465 |pmc=7783168 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

As the [[Early Oligocene]] ''"Sula" ronzoni'' cannot be assigned to any of the sulid families—cormorants and shags, darters, and gannets and boobies—with certainty, the best interpretation is that the Phalacrocoracidae diverged from their closest ancestors in the Early Oligocene, perhaps some 30 million years ago, and that the Cretaceous fossils represent ancestral sulids, "pelecaniforms" or "higher waterbirds"; at least the last lineage is generally believed to have been already distinct and undergoing [[evolutionary radiation]] at the [[Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event|end of the Cretaceous]]. What can be said with near certainty is that AMNH FR 25272 is from a diving bird that used its feet for underwater locomotion; as this is liable to result in some degree of convergent evolution and the bone is missing indisputable neornithine features, it is not entirely certain that the bone is correctly referred to this group.<ref>Hope (2002) and see [[Hesperornithes]]</ref>

Phylogenetic evidence indicates that the cormorants diverged from their closest relatives, the darters, during the Late Oligocene, indicating that most of the claims of Cretaceous or early Paleogene cormorant occurrences are likely misidentifications.<ref name="Kuhl Frankl-Vilches Bakker et al Unbiased Molecular Approach"/>

During the late Paleogene, when the family presumably originated, much of Eurasia was covered by shallow seas, as the [[Indian Plate]] finally attached to the mainland. Lacking a detailed study, it may well be that the first "modern" cormorants were small species from eastern, south-eastern or southern Asia, possibly living in freshwater habitat, that dispersed due to [[tectonics|tectonic]] events. Such a scenario would account for the present-day distribution of cormorants and shags and is not contradicted by the fossil record; as remarked above, a thorough review of the problem is not yet available.

[[File:Doublecrestcorm14.jpg|thumb|upright|Double-crested cormorant]]

Even when ''Phalacrocorax'' was used to unite all living species, two distinct genera of prehistoric cormorants became widely accepted today:
* ''[[Limicorallus]]'' (Indricotherium middle Oligocene of Chelkar-Teniz, Kazakhstan)<!-- BullAMNH151:1. -->
* ''[[Nectornis]]'' (Late Oligocene/Early Miocene of Central Europe – Middle Miocene of Bes-Konak, Turkey) – includes ''Oligocorax miocaenus''<!-- AnnNHMusWien104A:237; Auk52:75; Condor58:367; Geobios36:719 -->

The proposed genus ''Oligocorax'' appears to be [[paraphyletic]]; the European species have been separated in ''Nectornis'', and the North American ones placed in the expanded ''Phalacrocorax''; the latter might just as well be included in ''Nannopterum''. A [[Late Oligocene]] fossil cormorant foot from [[Enspel]], Germany, sometimes placed in ''Oligocorax''<!-- AnnNHMusWien104A:237 -->, would then be referable to ''Nectornis'' if it proves not to be too distinct. ''Limicorallus'', meanwhile, was initially believed to be a [[rail (bird)|rail]] or a [[dabbling duck]] by some. There are also undescribed remains of apparent cormorants from the [[Quercy Phosphorites]] of [[Quercy]] (France), dating to some time between the [[Late Eocene]] and the mid-[[Oligocene]]. All these early European species might belong to the basal group of "microcormorants", as they conform with them in size and seem to have inhabited the same habitat: subtropical coastal or inland waters. While this need not be more than [[convergent evolution|convergence]], the phylogeny of the modern (sub)genus ''Microcarbo'' &ndash; namely, whether the Western Eurasian ''M. pygmaeus'' is a [[basal (evolution)|basal]] or highly derived member of its clade &ndash; is still not well understood at all as of 2022.

Some other Paleogene remains are sometimes assigned to the Phalacrocoracidae, but these birds seem rather intermediate between cormorants and darters (and lack clear [[autapomorph]]ies of either). Thus, they may be quite basal members of the [[Palacrocoracoidea]]. The [[taxa]] in question are:
* ''[[Piscator (bird)|Piscator]]'' (Late Eocene of England)
* "Pelecaniformes" gen. et sp. indet. (Jebel Qatrani Early Oligocene of Fayum, Egypt) – similar to ''Piscator''?
* ''[[Borvocarbo]]'' (Late Oligocene of C Europe)

The supposed Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene ''"[[Valenticarbo]]"'' is a ''[[nomen dubium]]'' and given its recent age probably not a separate genus.
[[File:Phalacrocorax filyawi FLMNH.jpg|thumb|Reconstructed fossil skeleton of the extinct [[Miocene]]-aged ''[[Phalacrocorax filyawi]]'', [[Florida Museum of Natural History]]]]
The remaining fossil species are not usually placed in a modern phylogenetic framework. While the numerous western US species are most likely prehistoric representatives of the coastal ''Urile'' or inland ''Nannopterum'', the European fossils pose much more of a problem due to the singular [[common shag]] being intermediate in size between the other two European cormorant lineages, and as of 2022 still of [[ghost lineage|mysterious ancestry]]; notably, a presumably lost collection of Late Miocene fossils from the [[Odesa]] region may have contained remains of all three (sub)genera inhabiting Europe today. Similarly, the Plio-Pleistocene fossils from Florida have been allied with ''Nannopterum'' and even ''Urile'', but may conceivably be ''Phalacrocorax''; they are in serious need of revision since it is not even clear how many species are involved. Provisionally, the fossil species are thus all placed in ''Phalacrocorax'' here:
* ''Phalacrocorax marinavis'' (Oligocene – Early Miocene of Oregon, US) &ndash; formerly ''Oligocorax''; ''Urile'' or ''Nannopterum''?<!-- Condor58:367; ContribMusPaleontolUnivMich24:205 -->
* ''Phalacrocorax littoralis'' (Late Oligocene/Early Miocene of St-Gérand-le-Puy, France) &ndash; formerly ''Oligocorax''; ''Nectornis''?<!-- AnnNHMusWien104A:237; Auk52:75; Condor58:367; Geobios36:719 -->
* ''Phalacrocorax intermedius'' (Early – Middle Miocene of C Europe) &ndash; includes ''P. praecarbo, Ardea/P. brunhuberi'' and ''Botaurites avitus''; ''Microcarbo'', ''Phalacrocorax'' or ''Gulosus''?<!-- AnnNHMusWien104A:237;Condor58:367 -->
* ''Phalacrocorax macropus'' (Early Miocene – Pliocene of north-west US) &ndash; ''Urile'' or ''Nannopterum''?<!-- (Middle) Pleistocene?! Auk30:29; Condor58:367; Condor69:24; ContribMusPaleontolUnivMich24:205 -->
* ''Phalacrocorax ibericus'' (Late Miocene of Valles de Fuentiduena, Spain) &ndash; ''Microcarbo'', ''Phalacrocorax'' or ''Gulosus''?<!-- AnnNHMusWien104A:237 -->
* ''Phalacrocorax lautus'' (Late Miocene of Golboçica, Moldavia) &ndash; ''Microcarbo'', ''Phalacrocorax'' or ''Gulosus''?<!-- AnnNHMusWien104A:237 -->
* ''Phalacrocorax serdicensis'' (Late Miocene of Hrabarsko, Bulgaria); ''Microcarbo'', ''Phalacrocorax'' or ''Gulosus''?<!-- AnnNHMusWien104A:237 -->
* ''Phalacrocorax'' sp(p). (Late Miocene of Odesa region, Ukraine) &ndash; up to 4 species, one of which is probably ''P. longipes''; ''Microcarbo'', ''Phalacrocorax'' and/or ''Gulosus''?<ref>These are the fossils described in the same paper as ''[[Pelecanus odessanus]]'' and sometimes cited as "''Phalacrocorax'' sp. Wildhalm", which is a widespread ''[[lapsus calami]]'' or printing error for the initial describer, Ignatiy Vidgal'm (Игнатий Видгальм in Russian, a German emigrant originally named Ignaz Wi(e)dhalm and often transcribed as "J. Widhalm").<!-- Born in Regensburg, emigrated to Odessa. Second surname is usually given as "D.", but also "Martynovich"; the latter is probably a Russified patronymic, the former his original German second surname. See http://odessa-memory.info/index.php?id=507. Transcription in Olson 1999 is somewhat erroneous. "Ignaz/Ignatiy" was probably abbreviated as "J." by Wi(e)dhalm himself because this letter was often used interchangeably with capital "I" in contemporary German. The German family name was properly "Wiedhalm", but the "e" is often dropped even in the German version (see e.g. "Leopold Widhalm" article), and in any case does not carry over to the Russian version. The error "Wildhalm" is attested as early as 1916 (contra Olson 1999), in Lambrecht's  papers "Die Gattung Plotus im ungarischen Neogen" and "A madarak palaeontologiájának története és irodalma"; it may have been due to a damaged letter "E", as author names were usually typeset in small caps at that time. --> He discussed three presumed species of cormorant under the provisional non-[[Linnean nomenclature|Linnean]] names "Haliaeus fossilis, var. Odessana major, medius, [a]nd minor" ("fossil cormorant, large/mid-sized/small Odessan variety").<!-- See Olson 1999: A new species of pelican (Aves: Pelecanidae) from the Lower Pliocene of North Carolina and Florida https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/6492/VZ_293_Pelecanus_schreiberi.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y --> While various different bones were assigned to the large species (and eventually referred to ''P. longipes''), one small and one mid-sized tarsometatarsus fragment remained unassigned; a few proximal ends of the same bone were provisionally included in the large species, but exceed its more complete tarsometatarsi in size and may represent a distinct and even larger fourth species. The fossils are probably lost nowadays and even the original publication is held by very few libraries; this has so far prevented a thorough review of the remains, but one partial [[coracoid]] does not appear to belong to ''Phalacrocorax [[sensu stricto]]'' and may have been closer in [[Morphology (biology)|habitus]] to North Pacific shags (''Urile''), but is unlikely to have been closely related{{Verify source|date=November 2007}} to these: Howard (1932).</ref>
* ''Phalacrocorax femoralis'' (Modelo Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of WC North America) &ndash; formerly ''Miocorax''; ''Nannopterum''?<!-- Auk52:75; Condor31:167; Condor58:367 -->
* ''Phalacrocorax'' sp. (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Lee Creek Mine, US) &ndash; ''Nannopterum'' or ''Phalacrocorax''?
* ''Phalacrocorax'' sp. 1 (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of WC South America) &ndash; probably ''Leucocarbo''<!-- "Phalacrocorax aff.bougainvillii" -->
* ''Phalacrocorax'' sp. 2 (Pisco Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of SW Peru) &ndash; ''Poikilocarbo'' or ''Leucocarbo''?
* ''Phalacrocorax longipes'' (Late Miocene – Early Pliocene of Ukraine) &ndash; formerly ''Pliocarbo''; ''Microcarbo'', ''Phalacrocorax'' or ''Gulosus''?<!-- AnnNHMusWien104A:237 -->
* ''Phalacrocorax goletensis'' (Early Pliocene – Early Pleistocene of Mexico) &ndash; ''Urile'' or ''Nannopterum'', perhaps ''Poikilocarbo'' or ''Leuocarbo''<!-- ContribMusPaleontolUnivMich24:205 -->
* ''Phalacrocorax wetmorei'' (Bone Valley Early Pliocene of Florida) &ndash; ''Nannopterum'' or ''Phalacrocorax''?<!-- Condor58:367; Condor72:293 -->
* ''Phalacrocorax'' sp. (Bone Valley Early Pliocene of Polk County, Florida, US) &ndash; ''Nannopterum'' or ''Phalacrocorax''?<ref>A [[Anatomical terms of location#Proximal and distal|proximal]] [[ulna]], Specimen PB 311, [[Pierce Brodkorb]] collection. Initially assigned to ''P. idahensis''. However, it is far too large, being from a very big species possibly larger than a great cormorant: Murray (1970).</ref>
* ''Phalacrocorax leptopus'' (Juntura Early/Middle Pliocene of [[Juntura, Oregon|Juntura]], [[Malheur County, Oregon|Malheur County]], Oregon, US) &ndash; ''Nannopterum''?
* ''Phalacrocorax reliquus'' (Middle Pliocene of Mongolia) &ndash; ''Microcarbo'', ''Phalacrocorax'' or ''Gulosus''?
* ''Phalacrocorax idahensis'' (Middle Pliocene – Pleistocene of Idaho, US, and possibly Florida) &ndash; ''Nannopterum''?<!-- Condor58:367; Condor72:293; ContribMusPaleontolUnivMich24:205 -->
* ''Phalacrocorax destefanii''{{Verify source|date=November 2007}}<!-- destefani? --> (Late Pliocene of Italy) &ndash; formerly ''Paracorax''; ''Microcarbo'', ''Phalacrocorax'' or ''Gulosus''?<!-- Condor58:367 -->
* ''Phalacrocorax filyawi'' (Pinecrest Late Pliocene of Florida, US) &ndash; may be ''P. idahensis''; ''Nannopterum'' or ''Phalacrocorax'', perhaps ''Urile''?
* ''Phalacrocorax kennelli'' (San Diego Late Pliocene of California, US) &ndash; ''Urile'' or ''Nannopterum''?<!-- Condor72:293 -->
* ''Phalacrocorax kumeyaay'' (San Diego Late Pliocene of California, US) &ndash; ''Urile'' or ''Nannopterum''?<!-- OccasionalPapersOfTheUniversityOfKansasMuseumOfNaturalHistory140:1. -->
* ''Phalacrocorax macer'' (Late Pliocene of Idaho, US) &ndash; ''Nannopterum''?<!-- Condor72:293 -->
* ''Phalacrocorax mongoliensis'' (Late Pliocene of W Mongolia) &ndash; ''Microcarbo'', ''Phalacrocorax'' or ''Gulosus''?
* ''Phalacrocorax'' sp. (La Portada Late Pliocene of N Chile) &ndash; may be same as Late Miocene/Early Pliocene "''Phalacrocorax'' sp. 2"; ''Poikilocarbo'' or ''Leucocarbo''?
* ''Phalacrocorax rogersi'' (Late Pliocene – Early Pleistocene of California, US) &ndash; ''Urile'' or ''Nannopterum''?<!-- Condor33:31; Condor34:118; Condor58:367; ContribMusPaleontolUnivMich24:205 -->
* ''Phalacrocorax chapalensis'' (Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene of Jalisco, Mexico) &ndash; ''Urile'' or ''Nannopterum'', perhaps ''Poikilocarbo'' or ''Leucocarbo''?<!-- *ContribMusPaleontolUnivMich24:205 -->
* ''Phalacrocorax gregorii'' (Late Pleistocene of Australia) &ndash; possibly not a valid species; ''Microcarbo'', ''Phalacrocorax'' or ''Leucocarbo''?<!-- Condor58:367 -->
* ''Phalacrocorax vetustus'' (Late Pleistocene of Australia) &ndash; formerly ''Australocorax'', possibly not a valid species; ''Microcarbo'', ''Phalacrocorax'' or ''Leucocarbo''?<!-- Condor58:367 -->
* ''Phalacrocorax'' sp. (Sarasota County, Florida, US) &ndash; may be ''P. filawyi/idahensis''; ''Nannopterum'' or ''Phalacrocorax''?<!-- Plio- or Plestocene: Forsberg  Shell  Pit, Leisey Shell Pit, Macasphalt Shell Pit or Richardson Road Shell Pit? -->

The former ''"Phalacrocorax"'' (or ''"Oligocorax"'') ''mediterraneus'' is now considered to belong to the [[Bathornithidae|bathornithid]] ''[[Paracrax antiqua]]''.<ref>Cracraft (1971)</ref> ''"P." subvolans'' was actually a darter (''Anhinga'').

==In human culture==

===Cormorant culling===
{{excerpt|Cormorant culling}}

===Cormorant fishing===
{{Main|Cormorant fishing}}
[[File:Cormorant chinese.JPG|thumb|right|A Chinese fisherman with his two cormorants]]
Humans have used cormorants' fishing skills in various places in the world. Archaeological evidence suggests that cormorant fishing was practised in Ancient Egypt, Peru, Korea and India, but the strongest tradition has remained in China and Japan, where it reached commercial-scale level in some areas.<ref name="King2013">{{cite book|author=Richard J. King|title=The Devil's Cormorant: A Natural History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ucGyAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA9|date=1 October 2013|publisher=University of New Hampshire Press|isbn=978-1-61168-225-0|pages=9–}}</ref> In Japan, cormorant fishing is called {{Nihongo|''ukai''|鵜飼}} and is performed by a fisherman known as an ''usho.''<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |last=Chavez |first=Elias |title=Cormorant fishing has been a tradition for over 1,300 years. Climate change might spell its end. |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/adapting-to-climate-change-challenges-faced-by-cormorant-fishermen-2023-12 |access-date=8 January 2024 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref> Traditional forms of ''ukai'' can be seen on the [[Nagara River]] in the city of [[Gifu]], [[Gifu Prefecture]], where [[Cormorant fishing on the Nagara River|cormorant fishing]] has continued uninterrupted for 1300 years, or in the city of [[Inuyama, Aichi|Inuyama]], [[Aichi Prefecture|Aichi]]. In [[Guilin]], [[Guangxi]], cormorants are famous for fishing on the shallow [[Li River]]. In Gifu, the [[Japanese cormorant]] (''P. capillatus'') is used; Chinese fishermen often employ [[great cormorant]]s (''P. carbo'').<ref name=GIFU>{{cite web |url=http://www.gifu-rc.jp/ukai/u_main.html |title=Cormorant Fishing "UKAI" |date=May 2001 |access-date=23 June 2016 |archive-date=19 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140119040006/http://www.gifu-rc.jp/ukai/u_main.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> In Europe, a similar practice was also used on [[Doiran Lake]] in the [[Macedonia (region)|region of Macedonia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://makedonija.name/land/dojran-lake |title=About Dojran lake |access-date=23 June 2016}}</ref> [[James VI and I]] appointed a keeper of cormorants, [[John Wood (cormorant keeper)|John Wood]], and built ponds at [[Westminster]] to train the birds to fish.<ref>James Edmund Harting, ''The Ornithology of Shakespeare'' (London, 1871), p. 262: Frederick Devon, ''Issues of the Exchequer'' (London, 1836), pp. 333–5.</ref>

In a common technique, a snare is tied near the base of the bird's throat, which allows the bird only to swallow small fish. When the bird captures and tries to swallow a large fish, the fish is caught in the bird's throat. When the bird returns to the fisherman's raft, the fisherman helps the bird to remove the fish from its throat. The method is not as common today, since more efficient methods of catching fish have been developed, but is still practised as a cultural tradition.<ref name=GIFU/><ref name=King2013/>

In Japan, environmental changes threaten traditional ''ukai'' because of reduced numbers of the [[Ayu sweetfish|ayu]] river fish that cormorants are used to catch.<ref name="auto"/>

===In folklore, literature, and art===

{{Further|Birds in culture}}

[[File:Yūhi Cormorants catching Fish.jpg|thumb|right|''Cormorants catching Fish''. Hanging silk scroll by Yūhi, [[Japanese painting|Middle Edo period]], Japan, 1755]]
[[File:Cormorant sculpture, Morecambe 1.jpg|thumb|right|Cormorant sculpture by Brian Fell on the [[Stone Jetty]], [[Morecambe]]]]
Cormorants feature in [[heraldry]] and medieval ornamentation, usually in their "wing-drying" pose, which was seen as representing the Christian cross, and symbolizing nobility and sacrifice. In ''[[Paradise Lost]]'', [[Satan]] assumes the form of a cormorant during his first intrusion into the [[Garden of Eden]], representing greed.<ref name="Murphy-Hiscock2012">{{cite book |last1=Murphy-Hiscock |first1=Arin |title=Birds - A Spiritual Field Guide: Explore the Symbology and Significance of These Divine Winged Messengers |date=2012 |publisher=Adams Media |isbn=978-1-4405-2688-6 |pages=48–49 }}</ref>

In some Scandinavian areas, they are considered good omen; in particular, in Norwegian tradition spirits of those lost at sea come to visit their loved ones disguised as cormorants.<ref name="Murphy-Hiscock2012"/> For example, the Norwegian municipalities of [[Røst Municipality|Røst]], [[Loppa Municipality|Loppa]] and [[Skjervøy Municipality|Skjervøy]] have cormorants in their coat of arms. The symbolic [[liver bird]] of Liverpool is commonly thought to be a cross between an eagle and a cormorant.

In Homer's epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus (Ulysses) is saved by a compassionate sea nymph who takes the form of a cormorant.

In 1853, a woman wearing a dress made of cormorant feathers was found on [[San Nicolas Island]], off the southern coast of [[California]]. She had sewn the feather dress together using whale sinews. She is known as the Lone Woman of San Nicolas and was later baptised "[[Juana Maria]]" (her original name is lost). The woman had lived alone on the island for 18 years before being rescued. When removed from San Nicolas, she brought with her a green cormorant dress she made; this dress is reported to have been removed to the Vatican.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}  Juana Maria's story was fictionalized in the children's novel ''[[Island of the Blue Dolphins]]''.

The bird has inspired numerous writers, including [[Amy Clampitt]], who wrote a [[poem]] called "The Cormorant in its Element". The species she described may have been the [[pelagic cormorant]], which is the only species in the temperate U.S. with the "slim head&nbsp;... vermilion-strapped" and "big black feet" that she mentions.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}

A cormorant representing [[Blanche Ingram]] appears in the first of the fictional paintings by [[Jane Eyre (character)|Jane]] in [[Charlotte Brontë]]'s novel ''[[Jane Eyre]]'':

<blockquote>One gleam of light lifted into relief a half-submerged mast, on which sat a cormorant, dark and large, with wings flecked with foam; its beak held a gold bracelet, set with gems, that I had touched with as brilliant tints as my palette could yield, and as glittering distinctness as my pencil could impart.</blockquote>

In the [[Sherlock Holmes]] story "[[The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger]]", [[Dr. Watson]] warns that if there are further attempts to get at and destroy his private notes regarding his time with [[Sherlock Holmes]], "the whole story concerning the politician, the lighthouse, and the trained cormorant will be given to the public. There is at least one reader who will understand."

A cormorant is humorously mentioned as having had linseed oil rubbed into it by a wayward pupil during the "Growth and Learning" segment of the 1983 [[Monty Python]] film ''[[Monty Python's The Meaning of Life]]''.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

The cormorant served as the [[hood ornament]] for the [[Packard]] automobile brand.<ref name="Gunnell2004">{{cite book|author=John Gunnell|title=Standard Guide to 1950s American Cars|url=https://archive.org/details/standardguideto100john|url-access=registration|date=January 2004|publisher=Krause Publications|isbn=0-87349-868-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/standardguideto100john/page/192 192]}}</ref>

Cormorants (and books about them written by a fictional ornithologist) are a recurring fascination of the protagonist in [[Jesse Ball]]'s 2018 novel ''Census''.

The [[Pokémon]] [[Cramorant]], introduced in ''[[Pokémon Sword and Shield]]'', closely resembles a cormorant in both design and name.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gray |first=Laura |date=2020-12-05 |title=Pokémon's Cramorant Is Just A Real-Life Bird |url=https://screenrant.com/pokemon-sword-shield-cramorant-real-life-bird-boring/ |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=[[Screen Rant]] |language=en}}</ref>

The cormorant was chosen as the emblem for the Ministry of Defence [[Joint Services Command and Staff College]] at Shrivenham. A bird famed for flight, sea fishing and land nesting was felt to be particularly appropriate for a college that unified leadership training and development for the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

After a member produced a mock magazine cover from a photograph of roosting cormorants, the bird became the unofficial mascot of the Pentax Discuss Mailing List with many posts dedicated to discussion of the photography of the species.<ref>{{cite web | title=cormorant | website=The Mail Archive | date=22 December 2004 |url=https://www.mail-archive.com/search?q=cormorant&l=pdml%40pdml.net | access-date=6 June 2023}}{{rs|date=September 2024}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Anhinga]]
* [[Cormorant culling]]
* [[Liver bird]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* Benson, Elizabeth (1972): ''The Mochica: A Culture of Peru''. Praeger Press, New York.
* Berrin, Katherine & Larco Museum (1997) ''The Spirit of Ancient Peru: Treasures from the [[Larco Museum|Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera]].'' [[Thames and Hudson]], New York.
* {{cite journal |last1=Cracraft |first1=Joel |year=1971 |title=Systematics and evolution of the Gruiformes (Class Aves). 2. Additional comments on the Bathornithidae, with descriptions of new species |journal=American Museum Novitates |issue=2449 |pages=1–14 |hdl=2246/2658 |hdl-access=free }}
* Dorst, J. & Mougin, J.L. (1979): Family Phalacrocoracidae. ''In:'' [[Ernst Mayr|Mayr, Ernst]] & Cottrell, G.W. (eds.): ''Check-List of the Birds of the World'' Vol. 1, 2nd ed. (Struthioniformes, Tinamiformes, Procellariiformes, Sphenisciformes, Gaviiformes, Podicipediformes, Pelecaniformes, Ciconiiformes, Phoenicopteriformes, Falconiformes, Anseriformes): 163–179. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge.
* Hope, Sylvia (2002): The Mesozoic radiation of Neornithes. ''In:'' Chiappe, Luis M. & Witmer, Lawrence M. (eds.): Mesozoic Birds: Above the Heads of Dinosaurs: 339–388. {{ISBN|0-520-20094-2}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Howard |first1=Hildegarde |title=A New Species of Cormorant from Pliocene Deposits near Santa Barbara, California |journal=The Condor |date=1932 |volume=34 |issue=3 |pages=118–120 |doi=10.2307/1363540 |jstor=1363540 }}
* [[IUCN]] (2007): ''[http://www.iucnredlist.org/ 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140627000000/http://www.iucnredlist.org/ |date=27 June 2014 }}''. IUCN, Gland.
* {{cite journal |last1=Kennedy |first1=Martyn |last2=Gray |first2=Russell D. |last3=Spencer |first3=Hamish G. |title=The Phylogenetic Relationships of the Shags and Cormorants: Can Sequence Data Resolve a Disagreement between Behavior and Morphology? |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |date=December 2000 |volume=17 |issue=3 |pages=345–359 |doi=10.1006/mpev.2000.0840 |pmid=11133189 |bibcode=2000MolPE..17..345K }}
* {{cite journal|author=Kurochkin, Evgeny N.|year=1995|title=Synopsis of Mesozoic birds and early evolution of Class Aves|journal=Archaeopteryx|volume=13|pages=47–66|url=http://www.paleo.ru/paleonet/publications/files/kurochkin_art3.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927022412/http://www.paleo.ru/paleonet/publications/files/kurochkin_art3.pdf|archive-date=27 September 2007}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Mayr |first1=Gerald |title=Tertiary plotopterids (Aves, Plotopteridae) and a novel hypothesis on the phylogenetic relationships of penguins (Spheniscidae) |journal=Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research |date=February 2005 |volume=43 |issue=1 |pages=61–71 |doi=10.1111/j.1439-0469.2004.00291.x }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Murray |first1=Bertram G. |title=A Redescription of Two Pliocene Cormorants |journal=The Condor |date=1970 |volume=72 |issue=3 |pages=293–298 |doi=10.2307/1366006 |jstor=1366006 }}
* Orta, Jaume (1992): Family Phalacrocoracidae. ''In'': del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew & Sargatal, Jordi (eds.): ''[[Handbook of Birds of the World]], Volume 1 (Ostrich to Ducks)'': 326–353, plates 22–23. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. {{ISBN|84-87334-10-5}}
* Robertson, Connie (1998): [https://books.google.com/books?id=oMPiWTT7fsEC&pg=PA97 ''Book of Humorous Quotations'']. Wordsworth Editions. {{ISBN|1-85326-759-7}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Siegel-Causey |first1=Douglas |title=Phylogeny of the Phalacrocoracidae |journal=The Condor |date=1988 |volume=90 |issue=4 |pages=885–905 |doi=10.2307/1368846 |jstor=1368846 }}
* [[André Thévet|Thevet, F. André]] (1558): [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k109516t About birds of Ascension Island]. ''In: Les singularitez de la France Antarctique, autrement nommee Amerique, & de plusieurs terres & isles decouvertes de nostre temps'': 39–40. Maurice de la Porte heirs, Paris.
* {{cite journal |last1=van Tets |first1=G. F. |date=1976 |title=Australasia and the origin of shags and cormorants, Phalacrocoracidae |journal=Proceedings of the XVI International Ornithological Congress |pages=121–124 |author-link1=Gerard Frederick van Tets }}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category multi|Phalacrocoracidae|Phalacrocorax}}
{{Wiktionary|cormorant}}
* [http://ibc.lynxeds.com/family/cormorants-phalacrocoracidae Cormorant videos] on the Internet Bird Collection
* {{cite web |url=http://www.doc.govt.nz/upload/documents/science-and-technical/TSRP43.pdf| title = Recovery plan for Chatham Island shag and Pitt Island shag 2001–2011| year = 2001| publisher = Department of Conservation, Wellington, New Zealand | access-date = 28 September 2007}}
* [http://www.wcs.org/news-and-features-main/cormorant-deep-sea-dive.aspx First video of cormorant deep sea dive], by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the National Research Council of Argentina. [http://www.wcs.org/press/press-releases/video-captures-cormorant-dive.aspx WCS press release, 2012-07-31]

{{Suliformes}}
{{Birds in culture}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q3901247}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cormorants| ]]
[[Category:Phalacrocoracidae]]
[[Category:Seabirds]]
[[Category:Extant Oligocene first appearances]]
[[Category:Taxa described in 1850]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Ludwig Reichenbach]]