Reed Cormorant ( Phalacrocorax africanus, family: Phalacrocoracidae)

reed cormorant kruger national park birds The Reed Cormorant (Latin name Phalacrocorax africanus) is described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number of 58 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 572 also a picture of the Reed Cormorant on page 576. The Reed Cormorant belongs to the family of birds classified as Phalacrocoracidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology the Reed Cormorant is also known by these other names: Long-tailed Cormorant, Long-tailed Shag.

The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps

The Reed Cormorant is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common resident

In terms of distribution of the Reed Cormorant in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Reed Cormorant : see above distribution map.

The Reed Cormorant.

Reed Cormorant Kruger ParkIdentification assistance for this avian species ...

One of the first indicators to take note of when trying to identify a bird is it relative size. For example how big is the bird compared to a well known familiar bird. The Reed Cormorant is a largish bird about the same size as a Pied Crow. The height of the Reed Cormorant is about 60 cms and its weight is about 585 gms

The male and female Reed Cormorant have the same plumage and colours

  • Head is black.
  • Eye is red.
  • Bill is yellow.
  • Throat is grey.
  • Back is grey.
  • Legs are black.

This bird has normally proportioned leg length.

Main diet items for this bird ...

The Reed Cormorant feeds in or around water mainly

Smaller animals

Invertebrates

Aquatic life forms

Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...

The Reed Cormorant is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Phalacrocorax africanus will seek out a new mate

The nesting habit of Reed Cormorant is to create the nest on the ground or close to water. The bird lays eggs which are white in colour and number between 2 to 6

Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...

The preferred habitats for Reed Cormorant are: wetlands

You will normally see the Reed Cormorant in pairs or flocks and not as single birds.

Names of this avian species in other languages ...

Xhosa ... Ugwidi

Zulu ... iPhishamanzi/uLondo

Afrikaans ...Rietduiker

German ... Riedscharbe

Portuguese ... Corvo-marinho-africano

French ... Cormoran africain

Dutch ... Afrikaanse Dwergaalscholver

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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...

Robert's 7th edition number ... 58

The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za