Great Cormorant

Q: What are the chances of seeing a Great Cormorant in Chobe National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Great Cormorant sighting in Chobe National Park, based on 188 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

Q: When is the best time to see Great Cormorant in Chobe National Park?

October has the highest sighting rate for Great Cormorant in Chobe National Park in our monthly data.

Phalacrocorax carbo

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderSuliformes (Gannets, Cormorants, and Allies)
FamilyPhalacrocoracidae (Cormorants and Shags)
GenusPhalacrocorax (Typical Old World Cormorants)
SpeciesPhalacrocorax carbo (Great Cormorant)

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

at Chobe National Park

188 Verified sightings at Chobe National Park From 2019 to 2026

42,554 Verified sightings across all 125 parks From 2019 to 2026

October Best month highest sighting rate

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Great Cormorant

The great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), also known as just cormorant in Britain, as black shag or kawau in New Zealand, formerly also known as the great black cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the black cormorant in Australia, and the large cormorant in India, is a widespread member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It breeds in much of the Old World, Australasia, and the Atlantic coast of North America.

The great cormorant was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Pelecanus carbo. Linnaeus specified the type location as "Europe", but this was restricted to the "rock-nesting form of the north Atlantic Ocean" by the German ornithologist Ernst Hartert in 1920. The great cormorant is now one of 12 species placed in the genus Phalacrocorax that was introduced in 1760 by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson. The genus name is Latinised Ancient Greek, from φαλακρός (phalakros, "bald") and κόραξ (korax, "raven"); the specific epithet carbo is Latin for "charcoal".

Six subspecies are accepted. These are listed below with their breeding ranges... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Chobe National Park

Microcarbo africanus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Anhinga rufa

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Lake Nakuru National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~70%
2	Keoladeo National Park	🇮🇳 India	~60%
3	Hortobágy National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	~60%
4	Wadden Sea National Park	🇩🇪 Germany	~50%
5	Camargue	🇫🇷 France	~50%
6	Pilanesberg National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~50%
7	Bandipur National Park	🇮🇳 India	~40%
8	Garden Route National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~40%
9	Snowdonia National Park	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	~40%
10	Monfragüe National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	~40%
11	Kiskunság National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	~40%
12	Akagera National Park	🇷🇼 Rwanda	~30%
13	Nairobi National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~30%
14	Periyar National Park	🇮🇳 India	~30%
15	Kafue National Park	🇿🇲 Zambia	~30%
16	Liwonde National Park	🇲🇼 Malawi	~30%
17	Namib-Naukluft National Park	🇳🇦 Namibia	~30%
18	Murchison Falls National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	~30%
19	Doñana National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	~30%
20	Kaziranga National Park	🇮🇳 India	~30%
21	Chitwan National Park	🇳🇵 Nepal	~30%
22	Maria Island National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	~30%
23	Ranthambore National Park	🇮🇳 India	~30%
24	Bavarian Forest National Park	🇩🇪 Germany	~30%
25	Nikko National Park	🇯🇵 Japan	~30%
26	Great Otway National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	~30%
27	Namdapha National Park	🇮🇳 India	~30%
28	Minneriya National Park	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	~30%
29	Fiordland National Park	🇳🇿 New Zealand	~20%
30	Freycinet National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	~20%
31	Booderee National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	~20%
32	Vatnajokull National Park	🇮🇸 Iceland	~20%
33	Table Mountain National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~20%
34	Biebrza National Park	🇵🇱 Poland	~20%
35	Tongariro National Park	🇳🇿 New Zealand	~20%
36	Fertő-Hanság National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	~20%
37	Triglav National Park	🇸🇮 Slovenia	~20%
38	Arusha National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~20%
39	Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	~20%
40	Royal Manas National Park	🇧🇹 Bhutan	~20%
41	Nagarhole National Park	🇮🇳 India	~20%
42	Queen Elizabeth National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	~20%
43	Białowieża National Park	🇵🇱 Poland	~20%
44	Sierra de Guadarrama National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	~20%
45	Satpura National Park	🇮🇳 India	~20%
46	Cape Breton Highlands National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~20%
47	Yala National Park	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	~20%
48	Plitvice Lakes National Park	🇭🇷 Croatia	~10%
49	Chobe National Park	🇧🇼 Botswana	~10%
50	Royal Bardia National Park	🇳🇵 Nepal	~10%
51	Sierra Nevada National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	~10%
52	Arthur's Pass National Park	🇳🇿 New Zealand	~10%
53	Gonarezhou National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	~10%
54	Royal National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	~10%
55	iSimangaliso Wetland Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~10%
56	Pyrénées National Park	🇫🇷 France	~10%
57	Flinders Chase	🇦🇺 Australia	~10%
58	Wilsons Promontory National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	~10%
59	Virunga National Park	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	~10%
60	Noosa National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	~10%
61	Abel Tasman National Park	🇳🇿 New Zealand	~10%
62	Wilpattu National Park	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	~10%
63	Jim Corbett National Park	🇮🇳 India	~10%
64	Acadia National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
65	Mudumalai National Park	🇮🇳 India	~10%
66	Kosciuszko National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	~10%
67	Addo Elephant National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~10%
68	Grampians National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	~10%
69	Aoraki Mount Cook National Park	🇳🇿 New Zealand	~10%
70	Lake Manyara National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~10%
71	Mercantour National Park	🇫🇷 France	~10%
72	Manas National Park	🇮🇳 India	~10%
73	Egmont National Park	🇳🇿 New Zealand	~10%
74	Blue Mountains National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	~10%
75	Aigüestortes National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	<5%
76	Kruger National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
77	Niokolo-Koba National Park	🇸🇳 Senegal	<5%
78	Volcanoes National Park	🇷🇼 Rwanda	<5%
79	Cévennes National Park	🇫🇷 France	<5%
80	Daintree National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	<5%
81	Hwange National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	<5%
82	Moremi Game Reserve	🇧🇼 Botswana	<5%
83	Khangchendzonga National Park	🇮🇳 India	<5%
84	Lower Zambezi National Park	🇿🇲 Zambia	<5%
85	Gauja National Park	🇱🇻 Latvia	<5%
86	Cairngorms National Park	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	<5%
87	Gros Morne National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
88	Springbrook National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	<5%
89	Mana Pools National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	<5%
90	Kanha National Park	🇮🇳 India	<5%
91	Ngorongoro Conservation Area	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
92	Sundarbans National Park	🇮🇳 India	<5%
93	Nyungwe National Park	🇷🇼 Rwanda	<5%
94	Ningaloo Marine Park	🇦🇺 Australia	<5%
95	Rakiura National Park	🇳🇿 New Zealand	<5%
96	Aberdare National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
97	Tsavo West National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
98	Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park	🇲🇳 Mongolia	<5%
99	Amboseli National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
100	Kibale National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	<5%
101	Picos de Europa National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	<5%
102	Bandhavgarh National Park	🇮🇳 India	<5%
103	Tsavo East National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
104	Tarangire National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
105	Lamington National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	<5%
106	Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
107	Awash National Park	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	Insufficient data
108	Golden Gate Highlands National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	Insufficient data
109	Jiuzhaigou National Park	🇨🇳 China	Insufficient data
110	Thingvellir National Park	🇮🇸 Iceland	Insufficient data
111	Gir National Park	🇮🇳 India	Insufficient data
112	Gorongosa National Park	🇲🇿 Mozambique	Insufficient data
113	Vanoise National Park	🇫🇷 France	Insufficient data
114	Ecrins National Park	🇫🇷 France	Insufficient data
115	Tatra National Park	🇸🇰 Slovakia	Insufficient data
116	Hohe Tauern National Park	🇦🇹 Austria	Insufficient data
117	Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	Insufficient data
118	Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	Insufficient data
119	Lake Mburo National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	Insufficient data
120	Kakadu National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	Insufficient data
121	Samburu National Reserve	🇰🇪 Kenya	Insufficient data
122	Bwindi Impenetrable National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	Insufficient data
123	Serengeti National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	Insufficient data
124	Cat Tien National Park	🇻🇳 Vietnam	Insufficient data
125	Sinharaja Forest Reserve	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Great Cormorant in Chobe National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Great Cormorant sighting in Chobe National Park, based on 188 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Great Cormorant in Chobe National Park?

October has the highest sighting rate for Great Cormorant in Chobe National Park in our monthly data.

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