Tuesday 12 March 2019

Indian Cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscicollis)

OTHER NAMES: Indian Shag
Latin Etymology: Phalacrocorax ("cormorant ; bald raven") fuscicollis ("dusky/brown")
Flock of non-breeding Indian Cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscicollis) at Prek Toal, Cambodia - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 600-790g  /  Length: 63cm  /  Wingspan: ?
NO UK STATUS IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Indian Cormorant is a fairly small freshwater cormorant found in various fragmented locations in southern Asia.  Notably, compared to other cormorant species I've seen up to this point, it feeds in small communal flocks who dive together in groups.  It's non-breeding plumage resembles that of a great cormorant, while in breeding plummage it has a mostly black appearance causing it to more resembling a shag, perhaps explaining why it is known as both indian cormorant and indian shag.

Related Species:
Order: Suliformes
Family: Phalacrocoracidae
Genus: Phalacrocorax
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -
CAMBODIA - Khmer -  ក្អែកទឹកមធ្យម ("Average Cormorant")
A locally common resident.
 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Common at Prek Toal

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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