Little Cormorant

The little cormorant is about 50cm long, slightly smaller than the Indian cormorant, with a shorter bill, dark eyes and no peaked head. Breeding adults are glossy black all over with a few white spots and filoplumes on the face and a short crest on the back of the head. Non-breeding birds and juveniles are brownish, with a more fleshy-looking bill and throat skin and sometimes a small white throat patch. The sexes look alike, though males tend to be larger (Wikipedia, general species account).

It forages singly or in loose groups on lowland fresh water, from small ponds to large lakes and streams, and sometimes in coastal estuaries. Like other cormorants it is often seen perched on a waterside rock with its wings spread to dry after fishing. It breeds in colonies in trees, often joining other waterbirds at heronries. In India it is resident across a very large range; SoIB 2023 estimates a long-term increase of about 42% with a stable current trend, and rates it a Low conservation priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).