Socotra Cormorant

Fascinating facts about the Socotra Cormorant

• Only in 2005 did researchers finally confirm that the Socotra cormorant actually breeds on the Socotra islands, despite its name suggesting otherwise, showing how even well-known birds can hide key parts of their life cycle.
• Older reports claim this cormorant can stay underwater for up to three minutes, a duration that far exceeds most of its relatives and hints at a capacity for deep diving that few birds possess.
• When the birds gather, they can form roosting crowds of 250,000 individuals, while at sea they assemble in groups of up to 25,000, illustrating a level of social cohesion rarely seen in seabirds.
• In the year 2000 the world population was estimated at about 110,000 breeding pairs, translating to roughly 330,000–500,000 individual birds, a figure that underlines how vulnerable a species can become when its few breeding sites disappear.
• The only protected nesting site in the Persian Gulf holds around 30,000 pairs on the Hawar Islands, a Ramsar-listed haven that now safeguards the largest remaining colony and highlights the importance of targeted conservation.

At a glance

About the Socotra Cormorant

The Socotra cormorant (Phalacrocorax nigrogularis) is an almost entirely blackish bird, about 80 centimetres (31 in) long, whose breeding plumage glints with a purplish-tinged forecrown, slaty-green upperparts and subtle white plumes around the eye, neck and rump. Its black legs, feet and gular skin complete a sleek silhouette that loses the glossy accents outside the breeding season. Endemic to the Persian Gulf and the south-east Arabian Peninsula, it also ventures west to the Red Sea and, surprisingly, was only confirmed in 2005 to breed on the Socotra islands of the Indian Ocean, despite the name that suggests a long-standing association. These birds are profoundly gregarious, forming roosting congregations of up to 250 000 individuals and feeding flocks of 25 000 at sea, diving for prey with reported submergence times of up to three minutes – a depth-capable performance rare among cormorants. While specific diet details remain scarce, their foraging behaviour includes both deep dives and mid-water feeding in large groups, reflecting a flexible hunting strategy that supports their massive colonies.

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