Flightless Cormorant (Nannopterum harrisi)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Flightless Cormorant

Nannopterum harrisi (Rothschild, 1898)

3 kgWeight

The flightless cormorant (Nannopterum harrisi), also known as the Galápagos cormorant, is a cormorant endemic to the Galápagos Islands, and an example of the highly unusual fauna there.

Vulnerable

Where and when it's recorded

No records at the public birding hotspots we track. It may be rare, remote, or its locations protected.

About

The flightless cormorant (Nannopterum harrisi), also known as the Galápagos cormorant, is a cormorant endemic to the Galápagos Islands, and an example of the highly unusual fauna there. It is unique in that it is the only known cormorant that has lost the ability to fly. It was placed in its own genus, Nannopterum, but was later placed with most of the other cormorants in the genus Phalacrocorax.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Flightless Cormorant?

The Flightless Cormorant weighs around 3 kg.

Where does the Flightless Cormorant live?

Its breeding range: South America: Fernandina and Isabela islands (western Galápagos).

Is the Flightless Cormorant endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Flightless Cormorant as Vulnerable.

What does the Flightless Cormorant eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Flightless Cormorant in?

It belongs to the family Cormorants, Shags (Phalacrocoracidae), order Suliformes.

At a glance

Weight
3 kg
Habitat
Ocean
Diet
Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle
On the water surface
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Vulnerable
More measurements
Wing
189 mm
Tail
154 mm
Bill
91 mm
Tarsus
70 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

South America: Fernandina and Isabela islands (western Galápagos)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Cormorants, Shags Phalacrocoracidae
Genus
Nannopterum

Other birds in the genus Nannopterum

Neotropic CormorantNeotropic CormorantNannopterum brasilianumDouble-crested CormorantDouble-crested CormorantNannopterum auritumPygmy CormorantPygmy CormorantMicrocarbo pygmaeusReed CormorantReed CormorantMicrocarbo africanusCrowned CormorantCrowned CormorantMicrocarbo coronatusLittle CormorantLittle CormorantMicrocarbo nigerLittle Pied CormorantLittle Pied CormorantMicrocarbo melanoleucosRed-legged CormorantRed-legged CormorantPoikilocarbo gaimardiBrandt's CormorantBrandt's CormorantUrile penicillatusRed-faced CormorantRed-faced CormorantUrile urile
Flightless Cormorant

Download illustration

Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Chris Kirby-Lambert. ↗

WebP · 1070 px

Heard it but can't see it? Mingji identifies birds by sound and photo, on your phone.

In other languages