Little cormorant - Microcarbo niger

Common Name :	Little cormorant.
Binomial Name :	Microcarbo niger
Family :	Phalacrocoracidae
Bangla Name :	Pankouri (পানকৌড়ি).
Photo Taken :	Bangladesh

Little cormorant is a water bird that is native to the Indian subcontinent, and also available in the Eastern part of the Asia. In Indonesia this is known as as Javanese cormorant. Binomial name of this black colored bird is Microcarbo niger. It belongs to the bird family Phalacrocoracidae.

Although the Little cormorants (Microcarbo niger) are ween as a solitary bird, but it is a gregarious bird (specially during breeding season). The color of the bird is black, and the back side (wings) of the bird is having grey colored scales. This bird is having a shorter neck, and feet are webbed, like a duck (or other seabirds). The beak of the bird is greyish. Both male and female birds are same. Male cormorants tend to be slightly larger than the female.

Being a water bird, the Little cormorants are seen around the river, pond, and wetlands. This bird is a very good fish hunter by diving into water and can stay under water for a minute. They can move under water using their webbed feet easily. They perch on the branch or mound near the wetland to dry their wings by spreading wide.

Breeding season for this Little cormorant bird is usually between May to October. Both male and female bird participate to build the nest. Although they patrol over the water for hunting, but make their nest on a tree by gathering small sticks and other similar stuffs. The color of the egg is whitish and a clutch can have two to six eggs. It takes two to three weeks to hatch after successful incubation.

A Little cormorant with a clutch of Sandpiper birds, as if chicks with their mama!

A Little cormorant bird is drying his wings.

A Little cormorant is waiting on a bamboo pole near the water.

Photos of Little cormorant (Microcarbo niger) were taken from several locations of Bangladesh in different times of the year. In Bangladesh this bird is known as Pankouri (পানকৌড়ি), Pankouti (পানকৌটি), etc.


This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog http://icbird.blogspot.com/