Japanese Cormorant

Japanese cormorant is a species of cormorant that can be found on the rocks along the coast of the Oki Islands. It is a seabird that breeds mainly on cliffs along the coast north of central Honshu Island and topically in western Japan. It is around 85 cm in size, and its wing span reaches 3m and above. The Japanese cormorant has a black body, with yellow skin showing from around the eyes to the throat. During the breeding season, they develop white feather patches from the head to the neck, as well as at the base of the leg. Cormorants have low fat content and their feathers do not repel water, so they are suitable for diving. However, since it is heavy for them to fly with their wet feathers, the bird spread their wings to dry them. Here in the Oki Islands, the birds can often be seen drying their wings on the rocks, with their wings spread wide open. Japanese cormorant is the species used for cormorant fishing in Japan.