Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carbo
Skarven eller ålekragen er en fugl, der lever i alle verdensdele undtagen Sydamerika og Antarktis. I Danmark, hvor den har været del af faunaen i omkring 7000 år, er den en almindelig ynglefugl og vintergæst nordfra.
Large, near-all-black waterbird with a long hooked bill and bare yellow skin at the bill base. In breeding dress white patches on the thighs and head; are pale below.
Plumage and variation
Summer and winter: Breeding birds carry white thigh patches and whitish plumes on head and upper neck; winter dress is plainer black and less glossy.
Juvenile: Juvenile is pale to whitish below, only fully black at 3–4 years.
Voice
Mostly silent; guttural croaks at the colony.
Behaviour
Dives from the surface, chasing fish foot-propelled. The plumage soaks, so afterwards it stands wings outstretched to dry on posts and rocks — the species’ classic pose. Swims low with the bill angled up.
When and where
Breeder and winter visitor with a dramatic history: lost as a Danish breeder in the 1870s, back in 1938, gone again by 1946, a lasting colony on Vorsø from 1944. After protection in 1980 the population grew from ~3,000 pairs (1981) to over 40,000 at peak; 30,266 pairs in 2022.
Facts
Wingspan
140 cm
Conservation status
ikke truet
Relatives
Family
cormorants
Phalacrocoracidae
Order
gannets and cormorants
Suliformes
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