The Cormorant is goose-sized but more slender, with longer tail and slim, hook-tipped bill. Often found in small, loose flocks or at nesting colonies on cliffs or in tall trees. It flies well, often in lines or V-formation. 

Some colonies have developed inland, in the tops of trees beside lakes, reservoirs, and gravel pits. A close view of the bill reveals a sturdy hooked tip, ideal for handling slippery, muscular fish. Cormorants often stand on the shore, on buoys or in tree tops with their wings half outspread. These birds have always been assumed to be drying their wings, but it may have more to do with the digestion of a good meal.