The Story
I photographed this Neotropic Cormorant (Nannopterum brasilianum) at La Charca de Guarinocito in La Dorada, Caldas, Colombia. Groups sometimes beat the water with their wings to drive fish into the shallows. It lives on coasts, including some mangroves, and on inland waters. Unlike other cormorants, it is often seen perching on wires. It feeds mainly on small fish, diving and pushing itself underwater with its feet. Corpocaldas counts 135 plant species, 14 amphibians, 21 reptiles, 164 birds and 45 mammals at the charca. IUCN lists the Neotropic Cormorant as Least Concern, with an increasing population.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/1600 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400. In 2025 Corpocaldas zoned the charca for preservation, restoration and sustainable use, recognizing its role in community tourism and artisanal fishing.
©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