Snake like birds - Little Black Cormorants in Timor.
The Little Black Cormorant or Phalacrocorax sulcirostris is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It is common in smaller rivers and lakes very common to Australia and northern New Zealand, where it is also known as the Little Black Shag. It is around 60 cms long, and is all black plumage with blue-green eyes. The Little Black Cormorant ranges from the Malay Peninsula through Indonesia excluding Sumatra and New Guinea, and throughout Australia. It is found in New Zealand's North Island. It is a predominantly freshwater species, found in bodies of water inland and occasionally sheltered coastal areas. It is almost always encountered in or near water. The Little Black Cormorant was originally described by Johann Friedrich von Brandt in 1837. Its specific epithet is derived from the Latin words sulcus "groove", and rostrum "bill".
The back of Little Black Cormorant has a greenish sheen. In breeding season, White feathers appear irregularly about the head and neck, with a whitish eyebrow evident. The plumage is a more fade brown afterwards. Males and females are identical in plumage. The long slender bill is grey, and legs and feet black. Immature birds have brown and black plumage. It feeds mainly on fish, and eats a higher proportion of fish than the frequently co-occurring Little Pied Cormorant, which eats more decapods. More sociable than other cormorants, the Little Black Cormorant can be found in large flocks sometimes flying in "V" formations. Breeding occurs once a year in spring or autumn in southern Australia, and before or after the monsoon in tropical regions. The nest is a small platform built of dried branches and sticks in the forks of trees that are standing in water. Nests are often located near other water birds such as other cormorants, herons, ibis or spoonbills. Three to five (rarely six or seven) pale blue oval eggs measuring 48 x 32 mm are laid. The eggs are covered with a thin layer of lime, giving them a matte white coated appearance. They become increasingly stained with faeces, as does the nest, over the duration of the breeding season.
Courtesy: Wikipedia
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