Ducking And Diving About On The River
Country Life UK|December 07 2016

A prodigious piscivore, the crafty cormorant or ‘sea crow’ can dive to depths of 30ft, where its prey includes eels of up to a yard long, gulps David Profumo.

David Profumo
Ducking And Diving About On The River

STYGIAN, primeval, noisome and uncouth, the common cormorant isn’t exactly a cheery festive bird, but a reminder of the darkness in the world that lies beneath all the candlelight and tinsel.

Its Latin name (Corvus marinus) suggests kinship with the crows, but actually it belongs to the same order as pelicans. With an impressively cosmopolitan distribution across Europe to the Orient, the cormorant—or scarf, hiblin, Billy diver and Ralphie—is abundant in Britain and, although essentially a sea bird, it has adapted to inland habitats, much to the displeasure of fish farmers and anglers. The UK population of this piscivore is probably in excess of 40,000.

A hefty bird, weighing up to 8lb and with a 4ft wingspan, the ‘sea crow’ (Phalacrocorax carbo) is frequently confused with its more elegantly marked, smaller cousin the shag (P. aristotelis), which is exclusively coastal and sports remarkable green eyes. Carbo has a serpentine neck, a powerful bill with a decurved tip and scraped yellowish cheeks—the Greek appellation signifies ‘coal-black baldheaded raven’.

この記事は Country Life UK の December 07 2016 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は Country Life UK の December 07 2016 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

COUNTRY LIFE UKのその他の記事すべて表示
Tales as old as time
Country Life UK

Tales as old as time

By appointing writers-in-residence to landscape locations, the National Trust is hoping to spark in us a new engagement with our ancient surroundings, finds Richard Smyth

time-read
2 分  |
November 13, 2024
Do the active farmer test
Country Life UK

Do the active farmer test

Farming is a profession, not a lifestyle choice’ and, therefore, the Budget is unfair

time-read
3 分  |
November 13, 2024
Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin
Country Life UK

Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin

Charlotte Mullins comments on Moght Thoughts

time-read
2 分  |
November 13, 2024
SOS: save our wild salmon
Country Life UK

SOS: save our wild salmon

Jane Wheatley examines the dire situation facing the king of fish

time-read
3 分  |
November 13, 2024
Into the deep
Country Life UK

Into the deep

Beneath the crystal-clear, alien world of water lie the great piscean survivors of the Ice Age. The Lake District is a fish-spotter's paradise, reports John Lewis-Stempel

time-read
4 分  |
November 13, 2024
It's alive!
Country Life UK

It's alive!

Living, burping and bubbling fermented masses of flour, yeast and water that spawn countless loaves—Emma Hughes charts the rise and rise) of sourdough starters

time-read
4 分  |
November 13, 2024
There's orange gold in them thar fields
Country Life UK

There's orange gold in them thar fields

A kitchen staple that is easily taken for granted, the carrot is actually an incredibly tricky customer to cultivate that could reduce a grown man to tears, says Sarah Todd

time-read
3 分  |
November 13, 2024
True blues
Country Life UK

True blues

I HAVE been planting English bluebells. They grow in their millions in the beechwoods that surround us—but not in our own garden. They are, however, a protected species. The law is clear and uncompromising: ‘It is illegal to dig up bluebells or their bulbs from the wild, or to trade or sell wild bluebell bulbs and seeds.’ I have, therefore, had to buy them from a respectable bulb-merchant.

time-read
3 分  |
November 13, 2024
Oh so hip
Country Life UK

Oh so hip

Stay the hand that itches to deadhead spent roses and you can enjoy their glittering fruits instead, writes John Hoyland

time-read
4 分  |
November 13, 2024
A best kept secret
Country Life UK

A best kept secret

Oft-forgotten Rutland, England's smallest county, is a 'Notswold' haven deserving of more attention, finds Nicola Venning

time-read
3 分  |
November 13, 2024