A cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) is a large, black bird that looks like a goose. It appears often in art from Egypt and the Holy Land. Cormorants are 48 to 102 centimeters long (19 to 40 inches). They have webbing between all four toes. Their feet are set far back on the body, which helps them swim under water to catch food. They eat fish, shellfish, and amphibians (animals such as frogs). The bill is long and curves at the tip. A small sac under the bill can hold a caught fish.
Cormorants live in large groups. They make nests of sticks and plants in trees or on rocky ledges near the sea. Each pair lays up to four eggs. Both the male and female care for the young.
In Bible times, cormorants lived in swamps near the Sea of Galilee, Lake Huleh (waters of Merom), and along the Mediterranean coast. The Hebrew name for the bird comes from its habit of “diving down” to catch prey. Cormorants dive deep and move quickly under water when hunting fish. People often thought of them as greedy birds. They were unclean for the Israelites (Leviticus 11:17; Deuteronomy 14:17).