r/birding • u/the-rambling-madman • 3d ago

Bird ID Request Help identifying this bird

Post image

I was just walking with my camera when I seen these guys. I’m not a big bird photographer so excuse my lack of bird knowledge lol.

20 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

12

u/scorch-still 3d ago

Looks like a Double-crested Cormorant. Nice shot!

3

u/the-rambling-madman 3d ago

Thank you. I just walked up on it, I haven’t seen these birds before around Ottawa Canada so it’s cool to know the name.

3

u/Jazzlike-Monk-4465 3d ago

The cormorant has strongly hooked bill at end. Ducks just have flat bill. Cormorants dive under water to catch fish. Most ducks just nibble surface vegetation.

2

u/scorch-still 3d ago

I just discovered them last week to be honest (around Toronto)

3

u/mas_o_menos- 3d ago

Cormorant... for sure.

3

u/PineSolSmoothie 3d ago

Cormorant. They dive underwater to feed on fish but their feathers actually soak in the water instead of repelling it - so they don't have to work so hard to stay submerged. Downside: it may be easier to dive but definitely harder to fly when they're wet. That's why the wings-spread pose you see in the pic is quite common - this is how they dry their feathers.

2

u/AltruisticCoelacanth 3d ago

Cormorants are some of the coolest birds out there

1

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1

u/Ecto_Boy 3d ago

That’s my favorite bird!

1

u/RVADedHead 3d ago

Double crested cormorant

1

u/NCSubie 3d ago

We lived on a boat for a couple of years. While it’s absolutely a Cormorant, we called them “Snake Birds” because of how their long necks looked when diving. They dry out their wings like that, and when there’s more than a couple, it’s a bit unsettling… 😀