Birds of Mexico: Double-crested cormorant

Double-crested cormorant is an iridescent black waterbird superbly adapted to catching fish.
They are migratory water birds, spending their winters on the Gulf Coast and their summers in freshwater lakes and that´s why I saw them here in Yucatan Peninsula. They are a common sight along our marine coastal areas and along the shores.

It mainly eats fish and hunts by swimming and diving. Like other cormorants, their feathers are not waterproof, they become easily waterlogged, which allows them to dive deeper by preventing air bubbles from getting trapped underneath their feathers. This is the reason why you often see cormorants standing with their wings spread out, drying their wet wings after diving.

We often went to watch these guys resting on the main pier in Telchac Puerto, a tiny fishing village in the Yucatan State. This is also where I took all the photos showed above.

Stay awesome and Steem on!

Lil Tammy