Cormorants have relatively short wings due to their need for economical movement underwater, and consequently have the highest flight costs of any bird.

Cormorants and shags are medium-to-large seabirds. They are coastal rather than oceanic birds, and some have colonised inland waters – indeed, the original ancestor of cormorants seems to have been a fresh-water bird, judging from the habitat of the most ancient lineage.

Stock Photo by Paddy Bergin