The cormorants of the Cape

On my South African marine adventures I often got to see 3 or 4 different cormorant species as well as the Marine Big 5! 

My favourite to see was the bank cormorant, which is endangered and down to fewer than an estimated 500 breeding pairs in South Africa. The huge swarms of Cape cormorants were also very impressive to see.

Bank cormorant (Phalacrocorax neglectus)

A swarm of Cape cormorants (Phalacrocorax capensis)

Crowned cormorant (Microcarbo coronatus)

Bank cormorant in nest-building mode

Cape cormorants flying over Dyer Island