Hi there my Steemit friends and followers!
I am coming with another episode of my Wildlife of Yucatan series. Today, I would like to introduce you to a very interesting feathered inhabitant of the Yucatan Peninsula, the double-crested cormorant.
These birds are very abundant in the small coastal town of Telchac Puerto where I lived just until recently and sometimes, it even looked like the cormorants were taking control of the area :) I took some photos of the birds so let me share them with you and also tell you something more about these majestic animals.
Reaching up to 90 cm (35 in) in length, the double-crested cormorant is a large water bird with a massive body, long neck and distinctive hooked bill.
Inhabiting both inland waterways as well as seaside areas, the bird is commonly found in North America and even in some parts of Central America.
Similarly to the pelican, the cormorant also hunts fish by diving – it can actually dive up to 30 m (100 ft) to catch a fish! Unlike pelicans, however, cormorants can also actively chase their prey underwater with propulsion created by their powerful webbed feet.
Since the birds´ wings are not completely waterproof, they often stand with their wings stretched out in the air to dry.
The double-crested cormorants mostly feed on fish but they can also eat crustaceans and amphibians.
I wish I took some videos of these guys too because while resting on these metal constructions, they often made very strange deep guttural noise that kind of sounds like the pig grunt. I found out they make this sound during mating or as a display of aggressive behavior. Hopefully, they were not thinking about attacking me :D
I hope you enjoyed this post and possibly also learned something new. Have a great day everyone and Steem on! :)
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