Double-crested Cormorant on Budd Bay
Olympia, WA
February 12, 2018
News flash! Cormorants are really cool looking birds! Quite beautiful, in fact.
For many of us, the name Double-crested Cormorant conjures up large, prehistoric-looking black birds perched with their wings outspread or gliding through the water like a modern-day Loch Ness monster. Take a closer look and you might be surprised by the beauty of the bird.
This juvenile Double-crested Cormorant has grayish plumage. It will become matte black as it matures to adulthood. Its long, hooked beak is well suited for catching fish while swimming underwater. The turquoise eye contrasts dramatically with the bright yellow-orange beak. Specialized eye muscles provide the cormorants with acute vision above and under the water.
In bright sunlight, the intricate feather pattern is a wonder to observe.
An immature Double-crested cormorant watching me closely. It has just come up from a dive and water droplets are glistening in the sunlight. Note the needle-like point of the bird's beak.
Double-crested cormorant taking flight. Despite their large body size, it takes them less than two seconds to become airborne.