Great cormorant
Scientific name: Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus, 1758)
Overview
The great cormorant, also known as just cormorant in Britain, as black shag or kawau in New Zealand, formerly also known as the great black cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the black cormorant in Australia, and the large cormorant in India, is a widespread member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It breeds in much of the Old World, Australasia, and the Atlantic coast of North America.
From the Wikipedia article “Great cormorant”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Least concern on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021.3.
Size and lifespan
| Measurement | Value |
|---|---|
| Adult weight (male) | 2.4 kg |
| Adult weight (female) | 2 kg |
Source: Wikidata, citing “AVIAN BODY SIZES IN RELATION TO FECUNDITY, MATING SYSTEM, DISPLAY BEHAVIOR, AND RESOURCE SHARING”, article by Terje Lislevand et al published June 2007 in Ecology.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Africa; Australia; Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China); North America; Oceania; Southern Asia.
Common names
Also known in English as Black Shag, Cormorant.
Names in other languages (13)
- Arabic
- غاقة كبيرة
- Bengali
- বড় পানকৌড়ি
- Chinese
- 普通鸬鹚
- French
- Grand Cormoran, grand cormoran, grand cormoran atlantique
- German
- Kormoran
- Indonesian
- pecuk-padi besar
- Japanese
- カワウ
- Persian
- باکلان بزرگ
- Portuguese
- corvo-marinho, corvo-marinho-comum, corvo-marinho-de-faces-brancas
- Russian
- большой баклан
- Spanish
- Cormorán grande
- Turkish
- Karabatak
- Urdu
- بڑا پن کوا
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, measurements, names in other languages. Q25440, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Great cormorant”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — MPF, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — SanoAK: Alexander Kürthy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026