Flightless Cormorant - sunset silhouette
Taken from a panga in Elizabeth Bay off Isabela.
Unlike other cormorants around the world the Galapagos Flightless Cormorant, as its name suggests, has lost its ability to fly. With no predators to worry about the species has evolved to the point where its wings are now no more than vestigial appendages – the ability to swim being far greater than that of flying. Their range is very similar to the Galapagos Penguin, centred around the cold, nutrient-rich waters of Fernandina and the north and western coasts of Isabela. With a total population of under 2000 the species has an IUCN ‘vulnerable’ classification status.
Flightless Cormorant - sunset silhouette
Taken from a panga in Elizabeth Bay off Isabela.
Unlike other cormorants around the world the Galapagos Flightless Cormorant, as its name suggests, has lost its ability to fly. With no predators to worry about the species has evolved to the point where its wings are now no more than vestigial appendages – the ability to swim being far greater than that of flying. Their range is very similar to the Galapagos Penguin, centred around the cold, nutrient-rich waters of Fernandina and the north and western coasts of Isabela. With a total population of under 2000 the species has an IUCN ‘vulnerable’ classification status.