Cormorant by ALAIN HAUTMAN

About "Cormorant"

by ALAIN HAUTMAN

About the artwork

The cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) is a fascinating water bird that you often see in the Netherlands and Belgium, especially in fish-rich areas. Here are some interesting facts about this bird:

### 🐦 Characteristics.
- **Outward appearance**: Mostly black with a white cheek and yellow throat patch. In the breeding season, white feathers appear on the thighs and crown.
- **Size**: 80-100 cm long, with a wingspan of 130-160 cm.
- **Beak**: Long and hook-shaped, ideal for catching fish.

### 🌊 Lifestyle
- **Feeding**: The cormorant mainly eats fish, up to 750 grams per day. It dives underwater to catch its prey.
- **Feeding**: After fishing, you will often see it sitting with its wings spread to dry its plumage. This is because its feathers allow water to pass through, which helps it dive.

### 🏞️ Habitat
- **Habitat**: Fresh, brackish and salt water, such as lakes, rivers, ponds and marinas. It usually avoids the open sea.
- **Nesting sites**: Breeds in colonies, often in trees or reed beds. In Flanders, the population has increased significantly since 1993.

### 💕 Breeding behaviour
- **Brooding season**: From December to August. Nests in colonies and lays 3-4 eggs on average. Young are fledged after about 50 days.

### 🎶 Sound
- In colonies, they make low guttural sounds such as "rraaaahhh", while young birds croak and cackle.

Created by ALAIN HAUTMAN with support from AI.