Reed Cormorant
Microcarbo africanus (Gmelin, JF, 1789)
Phalacrocoracidae — Cormorants, Shags
Reed Cormorant, Microcarbo africanus, breeds across inland parts of Africa, with a wide range through Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. It is a cormorant in the family Phalacrocoracidae, first described by Gmelin in 1789. This is a small member of the group, with a long tail, a short crest and a face patch that is red or yellow. In breeding plumage it is mainly black with a green sheen, while the wing coverts are silvery. The bill is yellow. Non-breeding adults and young are browner and show a white belly.
- Order
- Suliformes
- Family
- Phalacrocoracidae — Cormorants, Shags
- Breeding range
- Africa: mainly inland; widespread Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar
