Dives from surface and swims about in pursuit of prey (generally to depths of 5 - 25 feet below surface); stays under 30 - 70 seconds.

Food:

Herring, eels, butterfish, pollack, sea perch, catfish, toadfish, skipjack are among the fishes eaten by the Cormorant.

Also, Cormorants eat crawfish, shrimp, spider crabs, some reptiles, mollusks, and sea worms.

Nest:

Built by both sexes, on ground (rocks) or in a tree; old nests often rebuilt, and may be used for at least 4 years.

Eggs:

Usually 3 - 4 chalky, pale blue. Both parents incubate for 24 - 25 days.

Chicks naked at hatching; at 2 weeks chicks covered with short, thick, black "wool".

Parents feed newly-hatched young by regurgitation, and using the bill allows the young to slurp up the fish soup from the parents' bills.

3 - 4 weeks after hatching, the young wander from nest, gather in bands that move through the entire colony, much sociable visiting, never viciously attacked by other adults.

At 42 days, young can take flight from water and accompany adults in fishing and swimming; fully independent at 10 weeks.