Scientific name: Phalacrocorax neglectus
The bank cormorant is a heavy-bodied bird, roughly 75 cm in length. It is generally black in appearance with a bronze sheen, though the wings are a dark brown rather than a true black. Adults have a small crest on their heads, and normally have a white rump. Pale eye in an all black face is considered to be diagnostic for adults, with immature birds having a dark eye.
Endemic to southern Africa's western coast, from Namibia down to the Northern and Western Cape. It generally stays close to the coastline, especially within the kelp zone, rarely moving further out to sea.
It eats fish and aquatic invertebrates, doing most of its foraging alone among kelp beds, descending to the sea floor to catch slow-moving bottom-dwellers. It dives in stints of 26-80 seconds, often descending to a depth of at least 28 metres.
