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Birds & Earth Mammals

Cape Cormorant

todayJanuary 1, 2025 6

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 Cape Cormorant . 
An endangered species that is highly gregarious and nomadic along the West Coast  and adjacent wetlands but rare on the East Coast  of South Africa. Some colonies are present all year round off SW Cape. Numbers have decreased rapidly over the last 20 years with less than 100, 000 pairs left. 
 
These Cormorants fly in long undulating lines low over the sea with flight speeds of up to 75 km/h. They settle in large flocks to feed up to 50km from shore and are able to dive to the sea bed of 30m depth staying submerged for up to 30 seconds. 
 
Food preference is for anchovies , pilchards , maasbankers and occasionally mussels. They are usually silent but have nasal grunts and croaks around their colony . 
 
Breeding takes place throughout the year . The nests are shallow bowls of sticks and seaweed on cliffs and offshore islands built in dense colonies.Two to three chalky white eggs are laid the incubation period lasts 22 – 23 days with a nestling period of about 9 weeks. The chicks are  still dependent on their parents for food for several weeks thereafter . 
 
Xhosa’s call them Ugwidi and in Afrikaans die Trekduiker . 

Written by: mike

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