Microcarbo coronatus
Silhouette: L. Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The crowned cormorant (Microcarbo coronatus) or kuifkopduiker, 'Fringe-head diver', is a small cormorant that is endemic to the waters of the cold Benguela Current of southern Africa. It is an exclusively coastal species and is not found more than 10 km (6 mi) away from land. This species is related to the reed cormorant, and was formerly considered to the same species.
It is found from Cape Agulhas north to Swakopmund along the coast of southern Africa. The population appears to be between 2500 and 2900 breeding pairs. It breeds in small groups, with fewer than 150 individuals per colony being typical. Ringing recoveries show that juveniles may disperse up to 277 km from their nests, and adults move between breeding sites over 500 km apart.
The crowned cormorant is 50–55 cm in length. Adults are black with a small crest on the head and a red face patch. Young birds are dark brown above, paler brown below, and lack the crest. They can be distinguished from immature reed cormorants by their darker underparts and shorter tail.
Crowned cormorants feed on slow-moving fish and invertebrates, which they forage for in shallow coastal waters... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Crowned Cormorant sighting in West Coast National Park on a given day, based on 356 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 74th most-seen of the 192 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Crowned Cormorant in West Coast National Park on a given day, against about 10% in May, the lowest month. Those are among West Coast National Park's wettest months, with about 65 mm of rain a month against 5 mm in February.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Crowned Cormorant sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Crowned Cormorant sightings, West Coast National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Table Mountain National Park (South Africa, about 20%) and De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Crowned Cormorant is recorded against all the birds logged in West Coast National Park (356 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.
