Double-crested Cormorant
Phalacrocorax auritus
This Double-crested Cormorant was photographed by Robert Shantz near Willcox, Cochise County, Arizona.
Rivers and ponds in the Sonoran Desert attract cormorants, both double-crested and Neotropic, where they dive for fish. Double-crested Cormorants are quite common along the Salt River between Roosevelt Lake and Phoenix, Arizona. Their feathers get wet when they dive, unlike most birds, and so they must dry them out before they can fly efficiently. Thus, after fishing, cormorants must perch on a branch or log with their wings outstretched in the sunshine. For tilapia farmers these piscivores are a challenge.