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Tucson Audubon Society
Dastardly Duos
Neotropic
and Double-crested Cormorants
by Larry Liese
Illustrations by George C. West
(Article first appeared in the March 2001 Vermilion Flycatcher newsletter.
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of Tucson Audubon.
As winter is closing out and new avian arrivals are about to come our way,
we will be shifting our attention from the deeper water of winter
waterfowl to the shallows and mudflats of shorebirds. Before we do
that, lets make one last stop in this habitat. A confusing pair that
used to give me lots of trouble are the Neotropic and Double-crested
Cormorants.
The main trouble with this species duo is that one is usually viewing them from a fair distance. Using a spotting scope will make all the difference here. Many times a binocular view will yield inconclusive results while a scope view leaves no doubt. Well, that's the reward for lugging one around!
The main differences between these two cormorants are in body shape and in
the gular pouch, an area around the throat bare of feathers and brightly
colored in most cormorants, more so in the breeding season. The
Neotropic 
Cormorant is smaller, with a noticeably slimmer head and
neck. It also has a proportionally longer tail, sometimes
hanging into the water if a surface level perch is being used. In
flight, the tail appears the same length as the head and neck, while on a
Double-crested Cormorant it will not. Beware the oft-mentioned
"kink" in the neck of the Double-crested, for the Neotropic can
show this field mark as well. I was surprised to learn this fact and
in checking it out at Patagonia Lake found that, sure enough, Neotropics
that we had just identified had a noticeable kink in their necks as they
flew by!
By far the most conclusive field mark is the shape of the gular region. The Neotropic has a noticeably narrow horizontal "V" shape to it, coming to a point behind the gape. On Double-crested Cormorants the bare area extends downwards at the rear, yielding a very different look. The gular region is also bordered in white on the Neotropic, bolder in the breeding season (this species does not breed locally, but this plumage is present on post-breeding dispersal birds). Also notice that the Double-crested has orange lores, while the Neotropic's are dark.
So remember, Neotropics are slimmer and longer-tailed, with a "V" shaped gular pouch; Double-cresteds are bulky and shorter tailed, with a curved shape to their pouch. Keep these tips in mind and you may have one less "sp" on your day's list.
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This page was updated on 02/21/06