scholarly journals Nesting of Great Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) on man-made structures in Ukraine

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. I. Sidorenko ◽  
V. D. Siokhin
Keyword(s):  
National Level ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Great Cormorant ◽  
Phalacrocorax Carbo ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Breeding Territory ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Maintenance Work ◽  
Great Cormorants

In Ukraine the Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo Linnaeus, 1758) uses a rather wide range of habitats for nesting: islands, trees and shrubs, reedbeds and a variety of man-made structures. In general, the strategy of nesting on man-made structures is uncommon both in Ukraine and Europe, and Cormorantsdo this only in the absence of other sites suitable for nesting. Special research onCormorant colonies on technogenic constructions was carried out during the field expeditions by the Research Institute of Biodiversity of Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems of Ukraine in 2002–2003 and 2012–2016. Besides this, we used retrospective and current data from the literature and Internet resources. Most of the field work was carried out by making surveys by boat and on foot. As a result, we found 8 Cormorant colonies on technogenic constructions in Ukraine: gas platforms in the Sea of Azov (near the village Strilkove, Henichesk district of Kherson region); sunken ships – targets for bombing training near the Arabat Spit (these are also known as «ship islands»); electricity pylons of the high-voltage Enerhodar Dnipro Power Line where it crosses the Kakhovka Reservoir; the dock in Yahorlyk Bayk, used in the past as a target for bombing training bombing; artificial island-platforms on Lake Chernine (Kinburn Peninsula); an artificial island on the Sasyk Lagoon (Odessa region); artificial islands, made as navigation markers on the Kremenchuk and Kiev reservoirs. The study found that in most cases the accompanying species was the CaspianGull (Larus cachinnans Pallas, 1811), which actively destroys the Cormorants’ nests and eats their eggs and chicks. The number of nests in the colonies varied greatly (5–30 nests on the navigation marker islands and ca. 2 000–2 300 on the «ship-islands» and gas platforms). This is due, primarily, to the area of the breeding territory. The research found that fierce territorial competition was observed in most of the colonies both with Caspian Gulls and between Cormorants. In addition, we observed anthropogenic interference in the colonies by fishermen and workers conducting routine maintenance work (as happened in the case of electricity pylons and gas platforms). The benefit of this study is that it is the first research in Ukraine conducted at national level onthis type of nesting by Cormorants. Moreover, the study examines the history of emergence of these nesting territories and population dynamics of the Great Cormorant from the time of initial settlement of the breeding sites till the present.

scholarly journals Flock-fishing deep-diving piscivores (Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus, Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo, Common Merganser Mergus merganser) at Lake Vombsjön, southern Sweden, and those that exploit them

Ornis Svecica ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Källander
Keyword(s):  
Great Cormorant ◽  
Southern Sweden ◽  
Phalacrocorax Carbo ◽  
Herring Gulls ◽  
Deep Diving ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Ardea Cinerea ◽  
Mergus Merganser ◽  
Podiceps Cristatus ◽  
Great Cormorants

Lake Vombsjön in southern Sweden is visited by large numbers of Great Crested Grebes Podiceps cristatus (>2000), Great Cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo (sometimes >1000) and Common Mergansers Mergus merganser (up to 2000) in late autumn and early winter. Different species exploit them. Great Crested Grebes are used especially by commensal Common Gulls Larus canus; the gulls take advantage of fish that flee towards the surface. Common Gulls also use cormorants and mergansers in the same way but also try to kleptoparasitize them. Both Herring Gulls Larus argentatus and Great Black-backed Gulls Larus marinus kleptoparasitize these two species, while Red Kites Milvus milvus, Grey Herons Ardea cinerea and Carrion Crows Corvus corone use them commensally. White-tailed Eagles Haliaeetus albicilla seem to use both methods to obtain fish. On 50% of one hundred visits during November to March, eagles were seen flying low over the fishing flocks. They would fly a metre or so above the flocks and then accelerate and attack a bird holding a fish. The bird would then either try to escape by a rush or by diving, dropping the fish which the eagle seized. Interestingly, the flock-fishing birds showed no fear reactions towards the eagles but appeared to regard them similarly to large gulls.

scholarly journals Great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) predation on pikeperch (Sander lucioperca L.) in shallow eutrophic lakes in Poland

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piotr Traczuk ◽  
Andrzej Kapusta
Keyword(s):  
Length Distribution ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Fish Populations ◽  
Great Cormorant ◽  
Phalacrocorax Carbo ◽  
Sander Lucioperca ◽  
Eutrophic Lakes ◽  
Breeding Colony ◽  
Great Cormorants

AbstractIncreases in the population abundance of the piscivorous great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) has led to conflicts with fisheries. Cormorants are blamed for decreased fish catches in many lakes in Poland. The aim of this paper is to describe to role of pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) in the diet of cormorants nesting in a colony on the island in Lake Warnołty. Since the breeding colony is located in the vicinity of Lake OEniardwy, the largest lake in Poland, the cormorants use the resources in this lake. In 2009-2016, 18,432 regurgitated fish were collected, of which 593 were pikeperch. The share of pikeperch among fish collected in 2009-2012 did not exceed 2%, but from 2013 this increased substantially to maximum of 38.2% in 2015. The smallest pikeperch had a standard length of 8.4 cm, and the largest 42.5 cm. Pikeperch mean length differed by year, and the length distribution was close to normal. The sizes of the regurgitated pikeperch indicate that cormorants prey almost exclusively on juvenile specimens. The results of the present study indicate that cormorant predation has a significant impact on pikeperch populations in lakes in the vicinity of the colony, and the great cormorants are possibly a significant factor in the effectiveness of pikeperch management. When planning for the management of fish populations in lakes subjected to cormorant predation pressure, it should be borne in mind that predation by this piscivorous bird species impacts the abundance and size-age structure of fish populations.

scholarly journals Pathology associated with Contracaecum rudolphii (Nematoda: Anisakidae) infection in the great cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo (L. 1758)

2011 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Rokicki ◽  
Z. Sołtysiak ◽  
J. Dziekońska-Rynko ◽  
J. Borucińska
Keyword(s):  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Great Cormorant ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Secretory Product ◽  
Phalacrocorax Carbo ◽  
European Continent ◽  
Associated Lesions ◽  
Contracaecum Rudolphii ◽  
Gun Shot ◽  
Great Cormorants

AbstractThis is a report of lesions associated with the nematode Contracaecum rudolphii (Nematoda: Anisakidae) from the proventriculus of the great cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo (L. 1758). The study was undertaken as part of a health monitoring program for P. carbo, which is endangered and thus protected within the European continent. Cormorants were collected by gun-shot from north-eastern Poland in the spring of 2006, four birds were necropsied on site and the gastrointestinal tract was examined for the presence of nematodes. The birds came from a region with noted increases in the cormorant population over the last decade. Esophageal and gastric sections with parasites in situ were fixed in formalin and processed routinely for paraffin embedding, stained with H&E and examined by brightfield microscopy. Parasite associated lesions consisted of severe, ulcerative gastritis at the attachment sites, and diffuse granulomatous gastritis in adjacent areas. Eosinophilic material speculated to be the parasite-derived excretory-secretory product was consistently forming the parasite-host boundry at the attachment points. Although the parasite-associated gastric lesions were focally severe, all examined birds appeared in good body condition. Because only four birds were investigated in this study, the potential contribution of C. rudolphii to morbidity and mortality in great cormorants needs to be examined further.

scholarly journals Genetic diversity of Great Cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo in the eastern Baltic region

Biologija ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalius Butkauskas ◽  
Kristina Chaika ◽  
Saulius Švažas ◽  
Gennady Grishanov ◽  
Algimantas Paulauskas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Haplotype Network ◽  
Great Cormorant ◽  
Baltic Region ◽  
Phalacrocorax Carbo ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Continental Part ◽  
Kaliningrad Region ◽  
Great Cormorants ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Eastern Baltic

A rapid expansion of the continental subspecies of the Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis) has been recorded in Europe since the 1980s. Evaluation of genetic variability of the  Great Cormorant using molecular markers is necessary for investigation of the mechanisms of formation of the newly established breeding populations in the  eastern Baltic region (in the Kaliningrad region of Russia and in Lithuania). The  samples for molecular investigation were collected in the largest breeding colonies of Great Cormorants located on the coast of the Curonian Lagoon of the Baltic Sea and in their smaller, later formed breeding colonies located in the continental part of Lithuania. After sequencing and alignment of partial fragments of mtDNA control region, 21 different haplotypes, including 8 new haplotypes never identified before, and 13 haplotypes described earlier were found. They were distributed with different frequency in different sampling sites. The haplotype network constructed using 342 bp D-loop sequences identified during the  current study and all available sequences of Great Cormorants deposited in GenBank by previous investigators revealed haplotypes attributed to subspecies P. c. sinensis being distinguished from haplotypes of subspecies P. c. carbo in the separate part of haplotype network. The newly described haplotypes did not form a phylogenetically uniform group indicating possible colonization of the Kaliningrad region and the continental part of Lithuania by individuals descending from the  largest breeding colonies spread at the  coast zone of the  Baltic Sea. A  high level of genetic population diversity in different breeding colonies recorded in the Kaliningrad region and in eastern Lithuania confirms the formation of a highly variable and well-adapted population of the Great Cormorant participating in the process of colonization of new breeding areas in the Baltic region.

Reproduction du Grand Cormoran (Phalacrocorax carbo) et du Cormoran à aigrettes (P. auritus) aux îles de la Madeleine, Québec

1983 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 524-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Pilon ◽  
Jean Burton ◽  
Raymond McNeil
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Hatching Success ◽  
Great Cormorant ◽  
Phalacrocorax Carbo ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Nesting Sites ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Great Cormorants ◽  
La Madeleine

The Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) and the Double-crested Cormorant (P. auritus) on the Magdalen Islands (Québec) nest in different types of habitat; all Great Cormorants nest on the ground either on cliff ledges or on the flat tops of rocky islands, while all Double-crested Cormorants nest in coniferous trees. No mixed colonies were seen in 1977 and 1978. Most Great Cormorants laid their eggs some 10 days before the Double-crested Cormorants. The mean clutch size was 4.4 for the Great Cormorant in 1978 and 3.2 and 3.6 for the Double-crested Cormorant in 1977 and 1978. The hatching success was similar for both species, 69.2% for the Great Cormorant in 1978 and 74.5 and 71.8% for the Double-crested Cormorant in 1977 and 1978. Great Cormorant chicks had a higher mortality rate mainly during their first 2 weeks of like. This resulted in a similar ratio of young fledged for both species of cormorant, about 2.0 fledglings per clutch for the Great Cormorant and 2.1 and 2.4 fledglings per clutch for the Double-crested Cormorant in 1977 and 1978. The greater mortality rate of young Great Cormorants reflects differences in nesting sites' conditions.

Great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis) predation on juvenile down-migrating trout (Salmo trutta) in a lowland stream

2019 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 721-729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristi Källo ◽  
Henrik Baktoft ◽  
Niels Jepsen ◽  
Kim Aarestrup
Keyword(s):  
Predation Risk ◽  
Salmo Trutta ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Distribution Area ◽  
Great Cormorant ◽  
Bird Conservation ◽  
Phalacrocorax Carbo ◽  
Pit Tags ◽  
Phalacrocorax Carbo Sinensis ◽  
Great Cormorants

Abstract Since in 1980s, the number of great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis) has increased all over its European distribution area. This has led to conflicts between bird conservation and fisheries. Mariager fjord in Denmark is an important feeding and transition area for a large population of migrating seatrout (Salmo trutta), but it also provides resting and breeding places for cormorants. Thus, juvenile anadromous salmonids migrating from the river to the sea may be exposed to high predation risk during a critical and vulnerable time in their development. A total of 31 123 down-migrating wild seatrout were tagged with Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags in 2008, 2009, 2015, and 2016 in river Villestrup, the main tributary flowing into Mariager fjord. Tagged fish were measured and grouped by their developmental stage as parr, pre-smolt, or smolt. To quantify cormorant predation, nearby cormorant colonies and roosting sites were repeatedly scanned for PIT tags with a manual antenna to record tags from predated fish. Minimum predation rate was 27% but varied among years. Body length of the fish and predation risk were negatively correlated and the latter was dependent on the group of the fish. This study demonstrates a potential negative effect of predation by great cormorants on an important population of wild trout.

The Angler in the Environment: Social, Economic, Biological, and Ethical Dimensions

2011 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Salmo Trutta ◽  
Natural Waters ◽  
Anguilla Anguilla ◽  
Phalacrocorax Carbo ◽  
Endangered Fish ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Council Directive ◽  
Daily Food ◽  
Great Cormorants ◽  
Europe Today

<i>Abstract</i> .—Based on the EU Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the Conservation of Wild Birds (1979), the number of great cormorants <i>Phalacrocorax carbo </i> has increased enormously in many European countries and the distribution of the species has extended considerably. In the middle of the last century, breeding sites were mainly limited to coastal areas; however, today, colonies have become numerous on inland waters. In Germany, for example, breeding pairs expanded from 794 in 1980 to about 23,000 in 2005, and the growth of the population still continues. In the whole of Europe today, there are more than 350,000 breeding pairs constituting more than 2 million cormorants. The increasing expansion of cormorants in Europe causes ecological damage to fish populations and economic and sociocultural damage to fishing. An estimate of the daily food intake of cormorants in Europe is about 1,000 metric tons. Special concern exists for endangered fish species such as grayling <i>Thymallus thymallus</i> , brown trout <i>Salmo trutta</i> , and European eel <i>Anguilla anguilla</i> . Rearing of fish in farms and stocking of juveniles in natural waters are often unsuccessful because of cormorant predation.

scholarly journals Great cormorants reveal overlooked secondary dispersal of plants and invertebrates by piscivorous waterbirds

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 20170406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Casper H. A. van Leeuwen ◽  
Ádám Lovas-Kiss ◽  
Maria Ovegård ◽  
Andy J. Green
Keyword(s):  
Great Cormorant ◽  
Phalacrocorax Carbo ◽  
Plant Seed ◽  
Wetland Ecosystems ◽  
Piscivorous Birds ◽  
Secondary Dispersal ◽  
Dispersal Syndromes ◽  
Dispersal Vectors ◽  
Terrestrial Habitats ◽  
Great Cormorants

In wetland ecosystems, birds and fish are important dispersal vectors for plants and invertebrates, but the consequences of their interactions as vectors are unknown. Darwin suggested that piscivorous birds carry out secondary dispersal of seeds and invertebrates via predation on fish. We tested this hypothesis in the great cormorant ( Phalacrocorax carbo L.). Cormorants regurgitate pellets daily, which we collected at seven European locations and examined for intact propagules. One-third of pellets contained at least one intact plant seed, with seeds from 16 families covering a broad range of freshwater, marine and terrestrial habitats. Of 21 plant species, only two have an endozoochory dispersal syndrome, compared with five for water and eight for unassisted dispersal syndromes. One-fifth of the pellets contained at least one intact propagule of aquatic invertebrates from seven taxa. Secondary dispersal by piscivorous birds may be vital to maintain connectivity in meta-populations and between river catchments, and in the movement of plants and invertebrates in response to climate change. Secondary dispersal pathways associated with complex food webs must be studied in detail if we are to understand species movements in a changing world.

scholarly journals Syncuaria squamata (Linstow, 1883) (Nematoda: Acuariidae) in the Great Cormorant [Phalacrocorax carbo sinensins (Blumenbach, 1798)] in northern Poland

2006 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Kanarek ◽  
L. Rolbiecki
Keyword(s):  
Parasite Fauna ◽  
Great Cormorant ◽  
Vistula Lagoon ◽  
Lake District ◽  
Phalacrocorax Carbo ◽  
Northern Poland ◽  
Great Cormorants ◽  
Gravid Females ◽  
A New Species ◽  
The Vistula Lagoon

AbstractOf the 105 great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo sinensins) from northern Poland (the Vistula Lagoon and Masurian Lake District), examined in 2000–2001, 67 proved hosts of the nematode Syncuaria squamata (Linstow, 1883). The prevalence, mean intensity, and intensity range amounted to 63.8 %, 36.2 specimens, and 1–120 specimens, respectively. The infection was heavier in the immature birds (84.6 %, 40.9 inds, and 1–120 inds) than in the adults (3.7 %, 1 ind.). The nematodes were dominated by gravid females (n=1846), followed by males (n=157), immature females (n=79), and L4 larvae (n=2). Measurements of the parasite are provided. S. squamata is a new species for the parasite fauna of Poland.

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