Socotra Cormorant

Open encyclopedia reference

The Socotra cormorant (Phalacrocorax nigrogularis) is a threatened species of cormorant that is endemic to the Persian Gulf and the south-east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is also sometimes known as the Socotran cormorant or, more rarely, as the Socotra shag. Individuals occasionally migrate as far west as the Red Sea coast. Despite its name, it was only confirmed in 2005 that it breeds on the Socotra islands in the Indian Ocean. The Socotra cormorant is an almost entirely blackish bird with a total length of about 80 centimetres (31 in). In breeding condition, its forecrown has a purplish gloss and its upperparts have a slaty-green tinge, there are a few white plumes around the eye and neck and a few white streaks at the rump. Its legs and feet are black and its gular skin blackish. All these deviations from pure black are less marked outside the breeding season. There is little information on this species' foraging or diet. Like all cormorants, it dives for its food.

Wikipedia contributors, Socotra cormorant; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:36:26.218171+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Phalacrocorax nigrogularis Ogilvie-Grant & H. O. Forbes, 1899

Name authority

Ogilvie-Grant & H. O. Forbes, 1899

Common name

Socotra Cormorant

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Suliformes

Family

Phalacrocoracidae

Genus

Phalacrocorax

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.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classAves
9. orderSuliformes
10. familyPhalacrocoracidae Reichenbach, 1849
11. genusPhalacrocorax Brisson, 1760
12. speciesPhalacrocorax nigrogularis Ogilvie-Grant & H. O. Forbes, 1899

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Phalacrocorax. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 28 records assigned to Phalacrocoracidae.

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.

1. Ogilvie-Grant, William Robert, & and Henry Ogg Forbes. (1899). Descriptions of the New Species of Birds. Bulletin of the Liverpool Museums, Vol. 2, No. 1. 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

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:6V7F4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.