The cormorant family (Phalacrocoracidae) comprises medium-sized to large, mostly dark-colored water birds. They all have elongated bodies and long flexible necks and a long, fairly rounded tail. They are adapted to diving and swimming, among other things, with webbing between all four toes. They have a stout, straight bill with a downward-curved hooked tip.
During swimming they tend to hold themselves in a distinctive posture. Almost all of their body is under water, the head (and the beak) held turned slightly upward. They are excellent swimmers, diving for fish underwater. Cormorants most often dive with an elegant plunge from the surface of the water. After diving, on exposed spots, such as rocks, ledges or trees, with wings spread, they sun themselves and dry their soaked feathers.
From roosts or nesting sites to areas where they hunt, they often cover considerable distances—even a few tens of kilometers. For cormorants, nesting colonies are characteristic, which are often mixed (with other bird species).
