Though a handsome blend of browns, sometimes with a white belly, the juvenile Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) is a bland bird compared to the adult, especially in the breeding season.

The adult shown below is a fine example of how striking these birds look during the breeding season, with their white ‘manes’ and thigh patch. (These two photos are the same bird, viewed from the left and right sides, as the bird held its wings low against its side in the first photo, and I wanted to get a photo showing the thigh patch.)

An interesting fact I didn’t know about the Cormorant but have just read on the RSPB website:

Despite being an agile underwater hunter, its feathers aren’t waterproof. In fact, wet feathers help this species to move quicker when on the prowl, reducing the bird’s buoyancy as it darts through the depths.

And, I guess, that’s why we often see Cormorants standing with their wings open, to dry them once they’ve finished fishing.