Cormorant Species

Cormorants, or shags depending on the area of the world, belong to the family Phalacrocoracidae. More than 30 species of cormorant exist worldwide and live most commonly in tropical, temperate regions. They are marine birds found around coastlines as well as in inland wetland habitats. Some species of cormorant have been trained to assist fishermen.

  1. Cormorants of the Americas

    • The Americas are the native home for 11 of the world's cormorant species. The great cormorant is a native of the United States as well as being found in Africa, Asia and Europe. It is one of the largest species and grows to almost 3 feet in height with a 5-foot wingspan. The other North American species are the double crested, Brandt's, Pelargic and the red-faced cormorants. The other species in the Americas are native to South America. These species are the imperial and rock shags as well as the guanay, neotropic, red-legged and flightless cormorants.

    New Zealand and Australian Cormorants

    • Most of the world's cormorant species are found in New Zealand or Australia. Known more commonly in New Zealand as shags, the native cormorants include the Campbell island shag. It is a medium-size species that grows to 2 feet and is native to some of New Zealand's smaller islands. Other species in New Zealand include the New Zealand king, Stuart island, Auckland island, Pitt island, Chathams island, spotted and Bounty's island shags. The Australian species are the black-faced, little pied, little black and the large pied cormorants.

    Asian and Middle Eastern Cormorants

    • The Middle East is home to just one cormorant species, the socatra, which lives in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. The Japanese cormorant, as the name suggests, is native to Japan and other parts of mainland Asia. The Indian cormorant lives in India and parts of southeast Asia as does the little cormorant, which is also found in areas of China.

    African and European Cormorants

    • Africa is home to four species of cormorant including the bank cormorant, which grows to almost 2 1/2 feet in height. It is one of the species that is considered endangered. Africa's other three native species are the Reed, cape and crowned cormorants. Europe is home to two species including the European shag, which grows to almost 3 feet in height. The other European species is the pygmy cormorant, which is one of the most common varieties.

    Domesticated Cormorants

    • The cormorant's ability to catch fish is utilized in a long-standing tradition in some Asian countries. In places such as China and Japan fishermen float out on bamboo rafts with several cormorants, which are on leashes. The birds then dive for fish, which they catch in their beaks, but because of a piece of string tied around their throats, they cannot swallow the fish. The fisherman pulls the bird up and extracts the fish. The practice has become more of a tourist attraction in recent times rather than a viable fishing enterprise.