Long-tailed Cormorant

The Long-tailed Cormorant is one of the most sought-after species to track on an African safari, and knowing its habits turns a hopeful search into a confident one. This field guide breaks down how to recognise the Long-tailed Cormorant at a glance, the habitats and times of day that reward patient searching, and the practical tracking craft guides rely on. Read it before you set out and you will spend less time scanning empty bush and more time watching the animal itself.

Medium to small-sized body; plumage mainly black with green metallic sheen; short hooked bill; relatively long neck, small crest on head; eyes green or bluish-green

Concentrate your search for the Long-tailed Cormorant in Freshwater lakes, rivers, swamps, reed beds, and wetland edges, the habitat where it feels most secure and finds its food. It is most active Diurnal, active during the day, especially more feeding activity in early morning and evening, so plan your game drives around those hours rather than the heat of midday. Across the continent the species ranges through Widely distributed across sub-Saharan Africa, including Kenya and the Masai Mara region, and within that range the richest sightings come where prime habitat meets low human disturbance.

Finding the Long-tailed Cormorant starts long before you see it. Learn the habitat it depends on — Freshwater lakes, rivers, swamps, reed beds, and wetland edges — and you narrow the search from an entire landscape to a handful of promising corners. Animals are not scattered at random; they sit where food, water, cover and safety overlap, and the Long-tailed Cormorant is no exception.