Japanese cormorant

The Japanese cormorant (Phalacrocorax capillatus), also known as Temminck's cormorant, is a cormorant native to the east Palearctic.

It is migratory, and has been observed to dive to significant depths for food.

It has a black body with a white throat and cheeks and a partially yellow bill.

It is one of the species of cormorant that has been domesticated by fishermen in a tradition known in Japan as ukai (鵜飼) (literally meaning 'raising a cormorant'). It is called umiu (ウミウ sea cormorant) in Japanese. The Nagara River's well-known fishing masters work with this particular species to catch ayu.

Distribution

 * China
 * Japan
 * North Korea
 * Russian Far East
 * South Korea
 * Taiwan