Art by Barry Kent MacKay
An All-Creatures.org
Art and Photo Presentation

(Artwork - 050)
Double-crested Cormorant
(Phalacrocorax auritus)

This is a species I have painted more often than any other, but mostly of late vignettes to illustrate a forthcoming book. Attached is a complete painting, to be used for the cover of the same book. It shows an adult with young.

This species is found throughout much of North America, Mexico and parts of the West Indies. It is named for two tufts of feathers that appear in the breeding season, but are soon shed, so missing from this bird. Both parents tend to the young, usually taking turns, and do so very attentively…they are superb parents, and they maintain their bond with each other long after the young have left the nest. They often nest in trees, but can also nest on the ground, and normally in colonies, often in the company of herons and egrets and other waterbirds. They are migratory in the northern part of their range. Here in southern Ontario they are starting to return just about now. 

Please read Why People Kill Cormorants.

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