The Story
I photographed this Neotropic Cormorant (Nannopterum brasilianum) from the Ferry Marcopolo on the Orteguaza River at Puerto Arango, near Florencia, Caquetá, Colombia, in February 2021. It used to be placed in the genus Phalacrocorax, but a 2014 molecular study moved it, with the Double-crested and Flightless Cormorants, to the revived genus Nannopterum, a name meaning dwarf wing. Adults are mainly black with a yellow-brown throat patch, and in the breeding season white tufts appear on the sides of the head. Groups sometimes beat the water with their wings to drive fish into the shallows. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11, at 1/500 sec, f/11, ISO 1600, +2 EV. From the Marco Polo ferry, on a two-hour trip along the Orteguaza River, passengers see the Hacha River flow into the Orteguaza and watch for birds.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Neotropic Cormorant (Nannopterum brasilianum) belongs to the family Phalacrocoracidae (Cormorants and Shags) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2018), with the population trend listed as increasing. Source: IUCN Red List
