Great Cormorant

Scientific name: Phalacrocorax carbo

Meaning of name:

Phalacrocorax is from the Greek words phalacros, meaning bald, and corax, meaning crow or raven. Carbo is a Latin word for charcoal (black).

Aboriginal Name:

Karbanga (car’bang’are).

Distribution:

Widespread across Australia but absent from the arid areas.

Description:

Up to 85 centimetres long with a 150 centimetre wingspan.

Notes:

The furthest distance recorded by the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme for this species of bird to travel is 2,773 km. The oldest bird recorded was recovered 21 years 9.8 months after being banded (information as at 13 June 2012).

The photographs for this species were not taken in the reserves of interest to the FQPB.

References:

What Bird is That? Neville W Cayley. 1978

Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Various contributors.

Aboriginal names of bird species in south-west Western Australia, with suggestions for their adoption into common usage. Ian Abbott. 2009. Conservation Science Western Australia Journal. Volume 7 No 2 https://library.dbca.wa.gov.au/Journals/080559/080559-07.015.pdf

Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/science/abbbs/abbbs-search.html

Atlas of Living Australia https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/29472c00-22e3-42c3-b562-107bd28d1bdc