Saturday, August 4, 2012

Sea Diving Cormorant

Wow, it makes me wonder how deep the Neotropic and Double-crested Cormorants at Arizona's lakes might be diving!?!

From AudubonMagazine.org, Aug. 4th, 2012 ~
Imagine plunging 150 feet down into the ocean in 40 seconds. Cool, right? Now imagine propelling yourself down through the water with wings. New video footage reveals that that is exactly how the imperial cormorant, a South American seabird, hunts for fish.
Researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society fitted one lucky cormorant with a tiny camera to observe its feeding behavior for the first time. The cormorant dived an amazing 150 feet down to the seafloor in 40 seconds, fed on the bottom for 80 seconds, and returned to the surface just as quickly with a fish. The camera is strapped to the cormorant’s back, and viewers can see the bird’s head bob along as it propels itself to the seafloor.

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