236 BIRDS OF EUROPE AND NORTH AFRICA 



Phalacrocorax. 



Bill straight, compressed sideways, hooked at point; tarsus 

 short, compressed sideways, not feathered; frequent sea and 

 inland waters; feed on fish caught by diving; nest on rocks 

 or trees and generally in colonies; eggs bluish white with 

 chalky crust. 



Phalacrocorax carbo carbo (L.). Cormorant. />. 

 Grand cormoran ; Ger. Kormoran ; Siued. Storskarf. 



$ $ Above bronzy green, with purple margins ; head, neck 

 and underparts purplish black ; chin and hair-like feathers on 

 head and neck (January to May) and patch on thighs (January 

 to July) white ; throat-pouch yellow ; tail 14 feathers. Iris green. 

 Bill above brown, below yellowish white with brown tip. Legs 

 and feet black. Wing 340-370. Tarsus 63-70. Bill 62-72. 

 Full plumage attained in second summer. Young : dark brown, 

 with slight bronze tinge ; beneath white with pale brown markings, 

 flanks dark brown. 



Breeds. — Coasts of Norway to Kola Penipsula, Iceland, 

 Faroes, British Isles ; Greenland to Labrador. Chiefly resident ; 

 a few wander south in winter. 



P. carbo subcormoranus (Brehm). Smaller. Bill more 

 slender ; purple less intense and of a greener shade. Wing 

 330-356 (H.). 



Breeds. — Continental Europe from Baltic to N. Spain, Balearic 

 Islands, C. and S. Italy, Sardinia, Sicily, Hungary and Rumania; 

 and through S. Russia to Central Asia. In winter occurs in 

 Greece, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and on the Caspian Sea. 



P. carbo maroccanus Hartert. Upper parts as in "carbo," 

 beneath differs in throat and fore neck (latter with black tips) 

 being white. 



Residcnf. — W. Coast of Morocco. 



Phalacrocorax graculus graculus (L.). Shag. Fr. 

 Cormoran largup ; Ger. Knihenscharbe ; Swed. Toppskarf ; Ital. 

 Marangone. 



^ % Dark oily green with a bronzy tinge, upper parts with 

 dark margins to feathers, bluish on head (which is crested Jan. to 

 May) ; bare skin of chin black with yellow spots ; tail 12 feathers. 



