Little Pied Cormorant

Birds of Urrbrae Wetland

Little Pied Cormorant

The little pied cormorant (Phalacrocorax melanoleucos) Is the smallest Australian cormorant. Its general plumage is black above and white below. The bill is stubby and yellow-sided, and the face and throat are naked and yellow. The white eyebrows extend back from the bill, over the eye and to the side of the face. The legs and feet are black.

The little pied cormorant usually fishes alone but roosts and nest communally. It feeds on yabbies and insects on inland waters, but on crustaceans and small fish in marine waters.

It breeds mostly from spring to autumn in the south. The nest is a shallow stick and green eucalypt leaf structure in bushes above water, with 2 to 5 eggs. (Contributed by Jo G.)

19/11/2008