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White-whiskered Laughingthrush
Yellow Tit
Streak-breasted Scimitar-Babbler
More Birds in Taiwan
Cattle Egret
Eastern Marsh Harrier
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Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
The Great Cormorant is a large (80-100 cm) blackish bird with a heavy grayish, hook-tipped bill, black legs and bare yellow gular skin. The cheeks and throat are whitish, and the iris is blue. In breeding plumage it displays white silky plumes on the neck and head and white patches on the flanks.
The Great Cormorant prefers large lakes, estuaries, coastal waters and wetlands. It feeds mainly on fish, and also takes some crustaceans and amphibians. It hunts mainly by pursuit-diving, and sometimes fishes in large flocks. The Great Cormorant nests on gravel islets of lakes or on islets along the coast, in colonies. The nest may be placed on the ground, in trees or bushes, in reedbeds or on human structures. It is made of sticks, reeds and seaweed lined with finer material, and is often reused. Usually 3-4 eggs are laid, and both parents brood, protect and feed their chicks.
In Taiwan the Great Cormorant is a common winter resident.
References: Handbook of Birds of the World Vol. 1; A Field Guide to the Birds of China (Mackinnon and Phillipps); 100 Common Birds of Taiwan (Wild Bird Society of Taipei)
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