Michigan is home to two species of cormorants, though only one is widespread and regularly encountered. The Double-crested Cormorant is a familiar sight on the Great Lakes, inland lakes, rivers, and wetlands from spring through fall, while the much rarer Neotropic Cormorant has only recently begun nesting in the southeastern part of the state as its range expands northward. This guide covers both species, with practical notes on identification, habitat, seasonal occurrence, and where to look for them in Michigan.
Double-crested Cormorant
Nannopterum auritum
- Identification: Large, dark cormorant with a heavy body, long kinked neck, thin hooked bill, yellow-orange facial skin, and mostly brown-black to blackish plumage.
- Where found: Widespread during summer across Michigan, breeding mainly on Great Lakes islands and foraging on lakes, rivers, reservoirs, wetlands, and coastal waters.
- How to spot: Look for a low-floating bird that dives for fish, perches on rocks, docks, trees, or pilings, and often holds its wings spread after fishing.
- Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN); stable and locally abundant in Michigan following a major recovery, though management actions continue in parts of the state.
The Double-crested Cormorant is Michigan’s only widespread cormorant and one of the most familiar fish-eating waterbirds on the Great Lakes. It measures 70 to 90 centimeters (27.6 to 35.4 inches) in length and has a heavy body, a small head, a long kinked or S-shaped neck, and a thin, strongly hooked bill. Its plumage is mostly brown-black to blackish, and the yellow-orange facial skin provides a reliable field mark throughout the year. The body sits low in the water, often with only the head and neck clearly visible while swimming.
Double-crested Cormorants are usually identified by their distinctive posture and behavior. Birds swim low on the water before diving from the surface to pursue fish underwater, using their feet for propulsion. After feeding, they frequently perch on rocks, docks, pilings, trees, channel markers, and other exposed sites with their wings spread to dry their wettable feathers. Flight is direct and steady with regular wingbeats, and flocks often travel in lines or shallow V-formations. The species is generally quiet away from breeding colonies, where deep guttural calls may be heard. Its diet consists primarily of fish, although aquatic insects, crustaceans, amphibians, and other aquatic prey are also taken.
The Double-crested Cormorant breeds widely across both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas but nests primarily on islands in the Great Lakes, where colonies are protected from mammalian predators and located near abundant forage fish. The only regularly documented inland breeding colony is on an inland lake in Oakland County. The species forages in a wide variety of aquatic habitats, including the Great Lakes, inland lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and wetlands. Birds return to Michigan in April, with most breeding activity beginning in May. Young usually fledge from late June through early August, and most adults and subadults depart during August and September, although a few individuals may remain into October or early November.
The Double-crested Cormorant has experienced one of the most dramatic recoveries of any colonial waterbird in Michigan. After disappearing as a breeding species in the state during the early 1960s because of persecution, commercial fishing practices, and pesticide contamination, populations expanded rapidly following legal protection and improved environmental conditions. Numbers have remained generally stable in recent decades, although active management programs in parts of the Great Lakes, particularly Lake Michigan, have reduced some breeding colonies because of conflicts with fisheries. Human disturbance at nesting colonies, illegal vandalism, disease outbreaks, changing fish communities, and ongoing management activities continue to influence the species’ distribution and abundance within the state.
Neotropic Cormorant
Nannopterum brasilianum
- Identification: Small, slim cormorant with mostly black plumage, a long neck, long wedge-shaped tail, thin hooked bill, emerald green eye, and a pale yellow gular pouch outlined by a white V-shaped border.
- Where found: Local during summer in southeastern Michigan, especially around Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River, using lakes, marshes, and sheltered coastal waters.
- How to spot: Look for a small, long-tailed cormorant swimming low in the water, diving for fish, or perching alongside Double-crested Cormorants with its wings spread after feeding.
- Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN); still a rare species in Michigan, but recent records include repeated nesting in the southeastern part of the state.
The Neotropic Cormorant is a rare but increasingly regular visitor to Michigan. It reaches the northern edge of its expanding North American range in southeastern Michigan, where recent records include successful nesting. This species measures 61 to 71 centimeters (24.0 to 28.0 inches) in length and has a slim body, a long neck, broad rounded wings, a rather long wedge-shaped tail, and a thin hooked bill. Adults are mostly black, with an emerald green eye and a pale yellow gular pouch bordered by a narrow white V-shaped line that helps distinguish them from the larger Double-crested Cormorant.
Neotropic Cormorants are usually identified by their compact size, long tail, and low swimming posture. They forage by diving beneath the surface in pursuit of fish and frequently perch on trees, posts, pilings, and other exposed structures with their wings spread after feeding. Unlike other cormorants, they occasionally make short plunge-dives from just above the water. They are generally quiet away from breeding colonies. The diet consists primarily of fish, although shrimp and other aquatic prey are taken elsewhere within the species’ range.
In Michigan, the Neotropic Cormorant remains highly localized and is recorded primarily from the Lake St. Clair and lower Detroit River region, including Lake St. Clair Metropark, the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, and Erie Marsh Preserve. Earlier records were scattered across the state, but most recent observations have come from southeastern Michigan. The species is most often reported between spring and early autumn, particularly from April through August. Since 2021, successful nesting has been documented repeatedly at Lake St. Clair Metropark, where birds have bred alongside Double-crested Cormorants, making this the only known breeding location in the state.
The Neotropic Cormorant remains a rare bird in Michigan despite its increasing frequency of occurrence. Its recent appearance and repeated breeding reflect a broader northward expansion that has also produced records in several northern states and southern Canada. Continued monitoring will help determine whether the small breeding population becomes established more widely in Michigan. At present, the species appears restricted to a few sites in the southeastern part of the state, and no Michigan-specific conservation concerns beyond the general protection of wetland and nesting habitats have been documented.
Where and When to See Cormorants in Michigan
Double-crested Cormorants are easy to find from spring through fall across Michigan’s Great Lakes shorelines, inland lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and wetlands, with breeding colonies concentrated on islands in the Great Lakes. Small numbers may linger into late autumn before migrating south. The Neotropic Cormorant is much rarer and is currently best sought from April through August around southeastern Michigan, particularly at Lake St. Clair Metropark, the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, and Erie Marsh Preserve, where recent records include repeated successful nesting alongside Double-crested Cormorants. Together, these two species offer birders the chance to observe both a familiar Great Lakes waterbird and a southern species that is gradually expanding its range into Michigan.
For a broader perspective, see our guide to the types of cormorants in North America, and explore the Birds of Michigan and Birds of the United States pages for additional regional and national bird guides.
