Cormorants (Phalacrocorax) resting on a log, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, 2016.

Forty species of cormorants and shags belong to the family Phalacrocoracidae. These medium-to-large birds have long, thin, hooked bills and webbed feet for diving and fishing. Cormorants are coastal rather than oceanic birds, found nesting in colonies around the shore, on trees, islets or even cliffs.