
White-breasted Cormorant
The white-breasted cormorant is much like the widespread great cormorant and if not a regional variant of the same species, is at least very closely related.
Species insights
Recorded year-round
Recorded in every month, so no month is the wrong month to look. We would rather say that than invent a best time.
Curve from 4,459 national iNaturalist observations, not from one property and not from this province. Single-month spikes are discarded as upload artefacts, and below 50 records we show no curve at all.
Western Cape and beyond
Provinces where White-breasted Cormorant is most recorded. Tap one to find places to stay.
4,461 records, iNaturalist
Parks where hosts record the White-breasted Cormorant
Stays that give back
Across KwaZulu-Natal
Reliably seen · Birder friendly · Grassland biome · Bushbuck · Common eland
Gives back to Royal Drakensberg Education Trust and 1 other
From R 6,800 a night
White-breasted Cormorant recorded here · Savanna biome · African wild dog · Spotted hyena
Gives back to Isibindi Foundation
Price on request
White-breasted Cormorant recorded here · Forest biome · Humpback whale · Southern right whale
Gives back to Isibindi Foundation
Price on request
Reliably seen · Birder friendly · Forest biome · Hippopotamus · Nile crocodile
Gives back to Isibindi Foundation and 1 other
Price on request
Indian Ocean Coastal Belt biome
Gives back to Isibindi Foundation
From R 13,000 a night
Grassland biome
Gives back to Royal Drakensberg Education Trust
From R 4,280 a night
Birder friendly · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Zululand Conservation Trust
From R 1,280 a night
Grassland biome
Gives back to Royal Drakensberg Education Trust and 2 others
From R 5,400 a night
Birder friendly · Grassland biome
Gives back to Isibindi Foundation
From R 5,990 a night
Grassland biome · Spotted hyena · Leopard
Gives back to Royal Drakensberg Education Trust
From R 1,140 a night
Birder friendly · Grassland biome
Gives back to Royal Drakensberg Education Trust
From R 1,691 a night
Birder friendly · Grassland biome · Blesbok · Serval
Gives back to Zululand Conservation Trust and 3 others
From R 1,200 a night
Grassland biome
Gives back to Royal Drakensberg Education Trust
From R 1,950 a night
Grassland biome · Bushbuck · Serval
Gives back to Royal Drakensberg Education Trust
From R 4,100 a night
Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
Price on request
Indian Ocean Coastal Belt biome
Gives back to National Sea Rescue Institute
From R 3,995 a night
Birder friendly · Grassland biome · Bushbuck · Vervet monkey
Gives back to Isibindi Foundation
From R 795 a night
Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
Price on request
Birder friendly · Savanna biome
Gives back to Zululand Conservation Trust and 2 others
From R 1,840 a night
Birder friendly · Savanna biome · African elephant · Cape buffalo
Gives back to BirdLife South Africa
From R 14,000 a night
Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
Price on request
Birder friendly · Savanna biome · Giraffe · Nyala
Gives back to BirdLife South Africa
From R 3,280 a night
Birder friendly · Savanna biome · Leopard · Giraffe
Gives back to BirdLife South Africa
From R 240 a night
Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
Price on request
Rolling green hills, dairy farms, and pottery studios
See places that give backPlanning a trip
When and where to find the White-breasted Cormorant
Hosts have recorded the White-breasted Cormorant at stays in or beside iSimangaliso Wetland Park and Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park.
Best hours of the day
- The first hours after sunrise, and late afternoon. Birds call and feed most in the cool.
- Midday. Quieter, especially in summer heat.
Species
Phalacrocorax carbo lucidus
Records
4,461
iNaturalist observations
Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.
Questions travellers ask
A record means a host has seen the White-breasted Cormorant on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.
Which parks and reserves are best for the White-breasted Cormorant in KwaZulu-Natal?
Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the White-breasted Cormorant at stays in or beside iSimangaliso Wetland Park and Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park. A record means a host has seen it on the property or nearby, which makes these the places to base yourself; it is never a guarantee of a sighting on any given day.
Where can you see the White-breasted Cormorant in South Africa?
The White-breasted Cormorant is most recorded in Western Cape (67% of records), KwaZulu-Natal (10% of records), Eastern Cape (8% of records), based on 4,461 iNaturalist observations. 4 places to stay on Spekboom in KwaZulu-Natal have recorded the White-breasted Cormorant on site or nearby.
When is the best time to see the White-breasted Cormorant?
The White-breasted Cormorant is recorded throughout the year, so no month is the wrong month to look for it. For the parks where hosts record it most, these are the best seasons they give. iSimangaliso Wetland Park: year-round, dry season May-Sep; Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park: year-round, dry season May-Sep. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.
What is the White-breasted Cormorant?
The white-breasted cormorant is much like the widespread great cormorant and if not a regional variant of the same species, is at least very closely related. It is distinguished from other forms of the great cormorant by its white breast and by the fact that subpopulations are freshwater birds.
























