The Story
This Neotropic Cormorant (Nannopterum brasilianum) was flying low over the water near Puerto Nariño, in Amazonas, Colombia, its dark body and orange facial skin clear against a soft background. It lives on coasts, in some mangrove areas and on inland waters, eating mainly small fish along with tadpoles, frogs, aquatic insects such as dragonfly nymphs, and shrimp. Pairs are monogamous and nest in colonies, and both parents incubate the eggs for about 25 to 30 days. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11 plus the RF 1.4x extender, at 1/1500 sec, f/16, ISO 1600, +0.5 EV. On the nearby Tarapoto lakes, a nursery for river dolphins and fish, 22 Indigenous communities agreed on fishing rules that Colombia’s fisheries authority AUNAP recognized in 2017.
©2024 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