Great Cormorant

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Great Cormorant in the UK

A common resident. The UK breeding population was put at about 8,900 pairs in the last full estimate, which dates from 1998 to 2002, and around 65,000 birds are present in winter. Wintering numbers rose by 46% between 1998 and 2023, and the breeding range has spread inland, where tree-nesting colonies are now established at reservoirs and gravel pits. Coastal colonies use cliffs and stacks. The species is on the Green list. Continental birds join British breeders in winter.

Where and when to see a Great Cormorant

Any coast, estuary, harbour, large river, reservoir or gravel pit, in every month. Look on buoys, piers, pylons, sandbars and dead trees, where birds rest between fishing trips. Inland numbers peak from autumn to early spring. A long-established tree colony can be watched from public viewpoints at Abberton Reservoir in Essex. Evening is good for watching lines of birds flying to roost.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Coast, lakes, rivers.
Diet: Fish.
Field note: Wing-drying pose on rocks.

How to identify a Great Cormorant

Goose-sized, long-necked and heavy-billed. Adults are black with a bronze sheen on the wings, a white throat patch and bare yellow skin at the bill base. In early spring breeding birds show a white thigh patch and white flecks on the head. Juveniles are brown with a whitish belly. It swims low with the bill tilted up, dives with a small leap, and flies with a kinked neck, often in lines or a V. The open-winged drying pose on a post is the classic view.

Call and song

Silent away from the breeding colony, so most birds you see will make no sound. At nests and roosts it gives deep, guttural croaks and grunts. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• European Shag: Shag is smaller and slimmer with a thin bill, a steep forehead and no white on the throat or thigh, and it is rare inland.
• Great Northern Diver: A diver holds a straight dagger bill level, has a shorter thicker neck and never perches upright on posts or rocks.

Related guide Bird migration in Britain.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Great Cormorant is a Common tier bird, worth +1 point when you log one. It is not on the Red or Amber lists in Birds of Conservation Concern 5.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Continental CormorantUncommon · Wetlands
• Grey HeronCommon · Lakes
• Mute SwanCommon · Lakes
• Double-crested CormorantLegendary · Lakes
• Pallas's GullLegendary · Lakes
• Common GoldeneyeUncommon · Lakes

Great Cormorant: quick answers

What does a Great Cormorant eat?

Fish, caught by pursuit under water. At sea it takes flatfish and other bottom-dwelling species. Inland it takes whatever is common, including roach, perch and eels. Birds usually surface with larger fish before swallowing them head first.

What habitat does Great Cormorant live in?

Shallow coastal waters, estuaries and large fresh waters. It nests on sea cliffs and rocky islets, and inland in trees beside lakes and reservoirs. It needs open water for fishing and a safe perch nearby for resting and drying.

What is the difference between Great Cormorant and Shag?

Cormorant is bigger, with a thicker neck and bill and a white throat patch. Shag is slimmer with a green gloss and, in spring, a short crest. Location helps: a bird on an inland reservoir is almost always a Cormorant, while Shags keep to rocky coasts.

Kit that helps

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