(Great/Black) Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo

The Great Cormorant, a blue-/green-eyed, prehistoric-looking bird which dives for fish. Found almost globally, these ones were on the River Thames and the Regents Canal, both in central London. The first word of the bird's scientific name, which sounds like a line from the pop hit "Zabadak" or something worse, means "bald raven".

Called just "Cormorant" in the UK where it is the only native cormorant likely to be seen. Unlike ducks, the feathers aren't waterproof and need to be dried after diving.

One of several species of cormorant and related shag throughout the world, the nominal P. c. carbo subspecies of the UK can grow white neck/head plumes in the breeding season. The European continental subspecies P. c. sinensis, which visits the UK, has a more visible white head/neck, above right on the Seine in Paris.

Cormorants sometimes flock together in large numbers, - here together with Grey Herons who provide look-out duty from a higher vantage point.

A juvenile Cormorant. UK subspecies. The initial plumage is brown with a white speckled front.

A white-fronted juvenile Cormorant. European continental subspecies in Berlin. The brown moults to black but sometimes the white speckled front remains longer as it takes between 2 and 4 years to develop full black adult plumage. (The White-breasted species of cormorant has a white neck.)

Cormorants in flight