GENUS & SPECIES
• Wings have evolved into small appendages, useless for flight
• Feeds mainly by living in the waters near its isolated Galapagos Islands habitat
• Often rests with its stubby wings spread out to dry, as do birds that fly
• Relies on its strong, webbed feet for swimming and diving
WHERE IN THE WORLD?
Having lost the ability to fly, the flightless cormorant now permanently resides on the Galapagos Islands and is rarely found more than a half mile from its breeding grounds.
The Galapagos Islands are home to many unique animal species found nowhere else in the world, including the flightless cormorant. These islands lie in the Pacific Ocean about 600 miles off the eastern coast of South America. The flightless cormorant is limited to only Fernandina Island and the western and northern coasts of Isabela Island, 2 of the 13 islands of Galapagos.
The flightless cormorant favors a relatively cool, dry climate. It feeds exclusively on marine life in the cold, food-rich inshore waters, and shelters and nests along the rocky coastlines.
A Island home
Once capable of flight, the flightless cormorant now only swims and walks around the beautiful Galapagos Islands.
The El Nino event of 1982-1983 reduced the flightless cormorant’s population by half, but 18 months later, their numbers were back to normal.
In 1835, Charles Darwin used his observations of “the Galapagos Islands when constructing his theory of evolution for the topic On The Origin of Species.
Food & hunting
The cormorant is an efficient daytime hunter with a voracious appetite. It feeds mainly on fish, octopus, squid and eel, along with the occasional invertebrate and crustacean. The bird dives and expertly swims after its prey. The indigestible parts of its prey, such as scales and bones, are regurgitated as pellets. The cormorant feeds at least
With a little leap, the flightless cormorant dives from the shoreline into the cold water in search of food.
Using its powerful feet for propulsion, the cormorant spots an octopus and quickly changes dire