Phalacrocorax capensis
Silhouette: L. Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The Cape cormorant (Phalacrocorax capensis), also known as the Cape shag, is a member of the cormorant family. It is endemic to the southwestern coast of Africa, and classified as "Endangered" by the IUCN. The Cape cormorant is most closely related to the great cormorant and Japanese cormorant.
The Cape cormorant is a blue-black bird with a glossy shine. The entire body follows the same coloration. There is little to no sexual dimorphism, with both males and females measuring 61–64 cm and weighing 1.1-1.3 kg, along with a similar plumage. The beak is dark grey-black, and a deep yellow-orange gular pouch can be observed. The eyes are turquoise with a greenish eye-ring around them.
Both non-breeding and immature adults have duller plumage, with a brown throat for immature adults. Juveniles are browner than immature adults, with grey eyes and a black, white, or speckled gular pouch. Males and females have a wingspan of around 260 mm. For breeding adults, the wings are bottle green.
The Cape cormorant is one of the 12 species in the genus Phalacrocorax, one of the 7 genera in the family Phalacrocoracidae. Phalacrocorax diverged from its... Wikipedia →
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South Africa · 2017
© Peter Boesman · XC392619 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 7 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Cormorant sighting in Addo Elephant National Park on a given day, based on 61 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 138th most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May–August and December–January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Cormorant in Addo Elephant National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–April and September–November, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cape Cormorant sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Cape Cormorant sightings, Addo Elephant National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Table Mountain National Park (South Africa, about 30%), West Coast National Park (South Africa, about 20%) and Garden Route National Park (South Africa, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cape Cormorant is recorded against all the birds logged in Addo Elephant National Park (61 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
