NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Crowned Cormorant
Microcarbo coronatus (Wahlberg, 1855)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Crowned Cormorant, Stoney Point, South Africa, Phalacrocorax coronatus
Ryanvanhuyssteen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The crowned cormorant (Microcarbo coronatus) or kuifkopduiker, 'Fringe-head diver', is a small cormorant that is endemic to the waters of the cold Benguela Current of southern Africa. It is an exclusively coastal species and is not found more than 10 km (6 mi) away from land. This species is related to the reed cormorant, and was formerly considered to the same species.
Wikipedia contributors, Crowned cormorant; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:21:13.660612+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Microcarbo coronatus (Wahlberg, 1855)
- Name authority
- (Wahlberg, 1855)
- Common name
- Crowned Cormorant
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Suliformes
- Family
- Phalacrocoracidae
- Genus
- Microcarbo
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderSuliformes
- familyPhalacrocoracidae Reichenbach, 1849
- genusMicrocarbo Bonaparte, 1856
- speciesMicrocarbo coronatus (Wahlberg, 1855)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Microcarbo. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Reed CormorantMicrocarbo africanus (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) | PhalacrocoracidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pygmy CormorantMicrocarbo pygmaeus (Pallas, 1773) | PhalacrocoracidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Little Pied CormorantMicrocarbo melanoleucos (Vieillot, 1817) | PhalacrocoracidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Little CormorantMicrocarbo niger (Vieillot, 1817) | PhalacrocoracidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Phalacrocorax coronatus (Wahlberg, 1855) (Wahlberg, 1855) | synonym |
| Graculus coronatus Wahlberg, 1855 Wahlberg, 1855 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=823998 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:6RFZQ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.