Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax Carbo In Flight. Royalty-Free Stock Photography

Adults have white patches on the thighs and on the throat in the breeding season. In European waters it can be distinguished from the common shag by its larger size, heavier build, thicker , lack of a crest and plumage without any green tinge. In eastern North America, it is similarly larger and bulkier than double-crested , and the latter species has more yellow on the throat and and lack the white thigh patches frequently seen on great cormorants.