DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT 



120. Phalacrocorax auritus. 30 in. 



Tail with 12 feathers; distinguished from the last 

 species in any plumage by the shape of the gular sac; 

 on the common Cormorant the feathers on the throat 

 extend forward to a point, making the hind end of the 

 pouch heart-shaped, while in the present species it is 

 convex. In breeding plumage, this species has a tuft of 

 black feathers on either side of the head. The throat 

 pouch is orange yellow; eyes green. These cormorants 

 are found to some extent along the Atlantic coast, in 

 summer, from Maine northward, but they are chiefly 

 birds of the interior, being particularly abundant in 

 Manitoba. 



Nest. On ledges on the coast, and on the ground in 

 the interior, or in trees. The nests are made of sticks 

 and weeds, shallow, shabby platforms holding 3 or 4 

 eggs. The eggs are bluish-green and chalky. 



Range. Breeds from Maine, on the coast. Minnesota 

 northward; locally in North Carolina. Winters in the 

 Gulf States. 120a., Fla. Cormorant, found in the South 

 Atlantic and Gulf States, is smaller. 



