Facts about Flightless cormorant

1. 07

   In response to El Niño events, flightless cormorant populations can decline by up to 65 percent due to reduced fish availability in Galápagos waters.

   Flightless cormorantMay 14shareecologyclimatepopulation
2. 06

   Approximately 1,200 pairs of flightless cormorants remain in the wild, making them one of the rarest seabirds in the world and found only around the Galápagos Islands.

   Flightless cormorantMay 14shareconservationpopulationendemic
3. 05

   Nesting pairs of flightless cormorants produce only one or two chicks per breeding season, among the lowest reproductive rates of any seabird species.

   Flightless cormorantMay 14sharereproductionbiologygalpagos
4. 04

   Flightless cormorants have unusually dense bones compared to flying cormorants, an adaptation that reduces buoyancy and makes deep diving more efficient.

   Flightless cormorantMay 14shareevolutionbiologyadaptation
5. 03

   Diving depths of up to 30 meters allow flightless cormorants to hunt for small fish and eels on the ocean floor around the Galápagos archipelago.

   Flightless cormorantMay 14sharebehaviordivinghabitat
6. 02

   The flightless cormorant's wings have shrunk to just 5-6 centimeters in length, making them too small for flight despite retaining vestigial wing bones.

   Flightless cormorantMay 14shareevolutionanatomyadaptation
7. 01

   Weighing only 1.5 kilograms, the flightless cormorant is the world's lightest cormorant species and lives exclusively in the Galápagos Islands.

   Flightless cormorantMay 14sharebiologymeasurementevolution