Cape Cormorant

The Cape cormorant, or Cape shag, is a sleek seabird with a predominantly glossy black plumage. During the breeding season, it exhibits a purplish sheen and sprouts a few delicate white plumes on its head, neck, and cloacal regions. This bird is distinguished by its deep orangey-yellow gular skin and the rare characteristic of feathered lores, setting it apart from its cormorant kin.

Identification Tips

Adult Cape cormorants are identifiable by their size, with a wingspan ranging from 240 to 280 millimeters and a weight between 800 and 1600 grams. There is minimal difference between the sexes. Observers should look for the bird's striking gular skin and the feathered area around the base of the beak, as well as the white plumes present during the breeding season.

Habitat

This species is endemic to the southwestern coasts of Africa, favoring the coastal areas for both breeding and foraging.

Distribution

The Cape cormorant breeds along the coast from Namibia to the southern Western Cape. Outside the breeding season, its range extends northward to the mouth of the Congo and eastward along the South African coast up to Mozambique.

Behaviour

Cape cormorants are gregarious birds, often seen foraging in flocks. They are adept at capturing schooling fish from mid-water, displaying a preference for smaller prey compared to the sympatric bank cormorant.

Breeding

The Cape cormorant breeds along the southwestern African coast, with a historical breeding population in Namibia once estimated at over 1 million individuals in the 1970s.

Similar Species

The Cape cormorant may be confused with the sympatric bank cormorant, but can be differentiated by its smaller prey size and the feathered lores.

Diet and Feeding

The diet of the Cape cormorant consists mainly of small schooling fish such as pilchards, anchovies, and sand eels. They are skilled hunters, diving and swimming to catch their prey in mid-water.

Conservation status

The IUCN has classified the Cape cormorant as "Endangered." The species has experienced a very rapid decline in population over the last three generations, signaling a pressing need for conservation efforts.