Cormorants

(Family Phalacrocoracidae)

Of the six species that have been recorded breeding within Australia, only the Black-faced Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscescens is endemic. Four other species breed on the mainland, and one each on Heard Island and Macquarie Island. All share the characteristic long slender bodies and neck, short stiff tails, webbed feet, and slender bills with pronounced hooked tip.