Little pied cormorant

How it lives

It lives in both salt and fresh water and is often seen on the coast, in estuaries, lakes and rivers. It breeds alone or in colonies, building a flat platform of sticks lined with green leaves, usually in a tree. Both parents share incubation and rearing. Clutches are three to five eggs depending on the source. In southern areas it breeds in spring or early summer, and in the tropics after the monsoon.

Where it goes

The sources I opened do not describe long migrations. It uses swamps, lakes, lagoons, estuaries and coastlines, and in New Zealand it lives on both the coast and inland lakes, ponds, rivers and streams.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

Listed as Least Concern by IUCN. In Australia it is secure in all states and one of the most common waterbirds, per the Australian Museum. In New Zealand it was classed At Risk, Relict in 2021 per NZ Birds Online, which notes some regional increases and lost colonies in places such as Auckland.