Neotropic Cormorant
Phalacrocorax brasilianus
Other than the Double-Crested, the Neotropic Cormorant is the only other North American cormorant that we commonly find in fresh water environs. Both cormorants have green eyes, but the Neotropic’s tail is longer than the Double-Crested. Breeding Neotropic Cormorants show a white chevron pattern behind the facial skin, but this can be hard to see in non-breeding birds. Most of the population of these birds stay well south of the southern USA border, even across most of South America, but they show up during breeding season in a few southern states, especially Texas, where the gulf coast hosts them year round.
I met my first Neotropic Cormorants during a summer visit to Bosque del Apache in 2003, then again in 2016. Until 2020, New Mexico birds were the only members of this species I’d met. I finally met some more of these birds during my Spring 2020 expedition to Texas. Since then, I’ve enjoyed meeting them in Arizona too.

Neotropic Cormorant(Phalacrocorax brasilianus) |
Description: Bosque del Apache NWR. Near Socorro, New Mexico. |
Date Taken: 2003:08:25 17:59 |
Location:
Tiffany |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/640 |
File Name: JCD_0887NeoTropicCormorant |
© 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Neotropic Cormorant(Phalacrocorax brasilianus) |
Description: Bosque del Apache NWR. Near Socorro, New Mexico. |
Date Taken: 2003:08:25 18:12 |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/750 |
File Name: JCD_0906NeoTropicCormorant |
© 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Neotropic Cormorant(Phalacrocorax brasilianus) |
Description: Bosque del Apache NWR. Near Socorro, New Mexico. |
Date Taken: 2003:08:25 18:30 |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: JCD_0928NeoTropicCormorant |
© 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Neotropic Cormorant(Phalacrocorax brasilianus) |
Description: Bosque del Apache NWR. Near Socorro, New Mexico. |
Date Taken: 2003:08:25 18:12 |
Location:
Bosque del Apache NWR |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/750 |
File Name: Cut-JCD_0906NeoTropicCormorant |
© 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Neotropic Cormorant(Phalacrocorax brasilianus) |
Description: Loafing with White-Faced Ibis at Bosque del Apache NWR. Near Socorro, New Mexico. |
Date Taken: 2003:08:25 10:41 |
Location:
Bosque Del Apache |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/250 |
File Name: JCD_0698-NeoTropicCormorant.WF-Ibis |
© 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Neotropic Cormorant(Phalacrocorax brasilianus) |
Description: Bosque Del Apache, south of Socorro New Mexico. |
Date Taken: 2016:03:23 13:53 |
Location:
Bosque Del Apache |
Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: D726667-NeoTropicCormorant |
© 2016 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Neotropic Cormorant(Phalacrocorax brasilianus) |
Description: Neotropic Cormorants frequently take in the morning sun at my "home base" in Brownsville Texas, where a "Resaca" or Oxbow lake is on its southern border. I spent April Fools morning checking out the local bird life. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:01 8:39 |
Location:
Breeze Lake |
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 550 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 |
File Name: NeoTropicCormorant_D507700-BreezeLake-TX |
© 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Neotropic Cormorant(Phalacrocorax brasilianus) |
Description: Neotropic Cormorants frequently take in the morning sun at my "home base" in Brownsville Texas, where a "Resaca" or Oxbow lake is on its southern border. I spent April Fools morning checking out the local bird life. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:01 8:39 |
Location:
Breeze Lake |
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 550 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 |
File Name: NeoTropicCormorant_D507683-BreezeLake-TX |
© 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Neotropic Cormorant(Phalacrocorax brasilianus) |
Description: Loafing cormorants. My second day at Aransas NWR on Monday, was only a half day, mostly spent at Heron Flats. The cranes that eluded me on Sunday gave themselves to me on this morning, as did some other nice birds. |
Date Taken: 2020:03:16 9:43 |
Location:
Aransas NWR |
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 550 mm, f/7.1, 1/1000 |
File Name: NeotropicCormorant_D501900_Aransas-NWR |
© 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Neotropic Cormorant(Phalacrocorax brasilianus) |
Description: At the 'Old Rookery' in Bosque Del Apache, south of Socorro New Mexico. |
Date Taken: 2016:03:18 16:33 |
Location:
Bosque Del Apache |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X6648-NeoTropicCormorant |
© 2016 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Neotropic Cormorant(Phalacrocorax brasilianus) |
Description: At the 'Old Rookery' in Bosque Del Apache, south of Socorro New Mexico. |
Date Taken: 2016:03:18 16:38 |
Location:
Bosque Del Apache |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: D3X6684-NeoTropicCormorant |
© 2016 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Neotropic Cormorant(Phalacrocorax brasilianus) |
Description: At the 'Old Rookery' in Bosque Del Apache, south of Socorro New Mexico. |
Date Taken: 2016:03:18 16:38 |
Location:
Bosque Del Apache |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: D3X6676-NeoTropicCormorant |
© 2016 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Neotropic Cormorant(Phalacrocorax brasilianus) |
Description: Neotropic Cormorants are much smaller than their Double-Crested cousins. My third day of exploration of Aransas NWR was a memorable one. I boarded the tour boat the "Skimmer" and got schooled by Captian Tommy Moore on a three plus hour cruise of the back-bays and waterways beyond the view of the public from the tour roads on the reserve. |
Date Taken: 2020:03:17 10:47 |
Location:
Aransas NWR |
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: NeotropicCormorant_D503700-BoatRide-Aransas-NWR |
© 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Neotropic Cormorant(Phalacrocorax brasilianus) |
Description: I would have expected to see more Double-Crested Cormorants here, but these smaller Neotropics were all that I met. It was a lovely day at the Gilbert Water Ranch. The weather was mild, and the winds were calm. Gilbert is in the Greater Phoenix area of Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2020:11:11 12:18 |
Location:
Gilbert Water Ranch |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: NeoTropicCormorant_D5X8935-GilbertWaterRanch |
© 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Neotropic Cormorant(Phalacrocorax brasilianus) |
Description: 2003-08-25 Bosque del Apache NWR. Near Socorro, New Mexico. (Phalacrocorax brasilianus) |
Date Taken: 2003:08:25 10:20 |
Location:
Bosque Del Apache |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/180 |
File Name: JCD_0681-NeoTropicCormorant. |
© 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Neotropic Cormorant(Phalacrocorax brasilianus) |
Description: 2003-08-25 Bosque del Apache NWR. Near Socorro, New Mexico. (Phalacrocorax brasilianus) |
Date Taken: 2003:08:25 17:59 |
Location:
Bosque Del Apache |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/640 |
File Name: JCD_0887-NeoTropicCormorant |
© 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Neotropic Cormorant(Phalacrocorax brasilianus) |
Description: 2003-08-25 Bosque del Apache NWR. Near Socorro, New Mexico. (Phalacrocorax brasilianus) |
Date Taken: 2003:08:25 18:12 |
Location:
Bosque Del Apache |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: JCD_0912-NeoTropicCormorant |
© 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |

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