Common Name : Little Cormorant
Scientific name: Phalacrocorax niger
Status in the Region: Very Common & Resident
Place: Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India
Habitat: Wetlands in Terai Grassland
Date: 25th March 2010
Equipment: Canon 40 D with Canon 100-400 mm IS lens
Notes:
One of the most widespread birds in India is the "Little Cormorant". Any marsh or wetland is incomplete without this ever omnipresent bird. In the ancient "Manuscript" it is mentioned that "A water thief is born as a cormorant". All cormorants have preen gland secretions that are used presumably to keep the feathers waterproof. However, there seem to be no exact consensus on its function. Some sources state that cormorants have waterproof feathers while others say that they have water permeable feathers. Still others suggest that the outer plumage absorbs water but does not permit it to penetrate the layer of air next to the skin. After fishing, cormorants go ashore, and are frequently seen holding their wings out in the sun. (Source: Wikipedia)
As a child and for long thereafter, I used to wonder whether anyone can ever count the feathers of a bird, until I chanced upon a book on Bird Records. It is said that the bird with the greatest number of feathers is a Whistling swan at 25,216 and the bird with the lowest number of feathers is supposedly the Ruby-throated hummingbird at 940 (other e source: http://www.trails.com/arts/amazing-bird-records.aspx ).... I wonder how many are there in this cormorant ?…. I can count about 12208 :-)
For the groups which don't allow attachments......here is the link to the photograph...
http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=148526
Adesh Shivkar
Mumbai, India
http://natureindia.ning.com/
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