Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters
I've always thought of cormorants as birds of the sea or river estuaries, or large lakes. Meanwhile, I've associated Kathmandu with the world's tallest mountains. So to come across a photo of cormorants at Kathmandu had me a little puzzled. They have every right to be there, it turns out, and it has more to do with Kathmandu's geography than cormorant inclination or preference. Nepal, of which Kathmandu is the capital City, is only 150 kilometres from 8,000-metre mountains in the north to near sea level in the south. Climates range from arctic conditions to sub-tropical jungles, and lowland-Nepal is characterized by well-watered floodplains, swamps, mangroves, ox-bow lakes and rivers, perfect for fish-eating cormorants. The Indian Cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscicollis) is one of 42 cormorant species, worldwide. 15 of the cormorant species are commonly called 'shags', instead of cormorant.
Pictured, left, is an Indian Cormorant (photo by J.M.Garg, 2006), while on the right is the Nepalese national bird, the Danphe or Danfe, a pheasant-type bird also called the Monel or Lophophorus. Yes, well, no one ever said Cormorants were pretty.
Pictured, left, is an Indian Cormorant (photo by J.M.Garg, 2006), while on the right is the Nepalese national bird, the Danphe or Danfe, a pheasant-type bird also called the Monel or Lophophorus. Yes, well, no one ever said Cormorants were pretty.
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BtheB
1 comment:
ohhh i see the Indian cormorant is black and by far more ugly than the Nepalese one.who knows their voice but it is easy to find in You Tube.i think they have a peculiar feather on their heads.Merry Christmas i wanted to tell you Barry and to pass well these happy days with your big family.i think this is the last Christmas.at some point they will change the religion to scientology.i am not a religion pro so i don't mind but it will be worse with the new one.so they say.maybe it is not true and all will be as always.we have 2012 in front of us.do you believe what they say about it?for the big changes it will bring to this planet?let us hope for the best.wishes from Greece.
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