Cormorant

Phalacrocorax carbo

✓What to do NOW

1Protect your eyes — the hooked beak is dangerous
2Cover the head with a cloth before picking up
3Check if entangled in nets or fishing lines — very common cause
4Large, dry, dark box
5Contact a coastal CRAS or one specialised in waterbirds

✗NEVER do this

✗Do not cut fishing lines or nets without understanding where they go (they may have been swallowed)
✗Do not immerse in water — cormorant plumage is not waterproof like ducks, they get wet easily
✗Do not give fish

⚠ Important note

Cormorants entangled in fishing gear are the most common case. Submerged illegal fishing nets are a deadly trap. If the cormorant is coated in oil or diesel: do not wash with water — a specific detergent (Dawn/Fairy) applied by trained personnel is needed. Contact LIPU.

⚖ Legal protection

Protected by the Birds Directive and Law 157/1992.

Also known as

great cormorantshagcommon cormorant

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