The Indian pygmy cormorant (Microcarbo niger, synonym: Phalacrocorax niger) is a bird of the order Suliformes. This waterfowl species is widespread in Asia, especially from India to Southeast Asia and northern Java.
The Indian pygmy cormorant is slightly smaller than the Indian cormorant, has no pointed head and a shorter bill. The waterfowl forages singly or sometimes in loose groups in lowland freshwater, including small ponds, large lakes, streams, and sometimes on the coast.
Like other cormorants, it is often spotted perched on a rock by the water with its wings spread out after emerging from the water. The whole body is black in the breeding season, outside the breeding season the plumage is brownish and the throat has a small whitish spot.
The Indian pygmy cormorant is about 50 cm long. The bird is found in parts of Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia.
This cormorant species is common in Thailand. You will often see it flying overhead or the bird sitting with its wings outstretched in roadside wetlands. In flight, the Indian pygmy cormorant looks a bit strange with its irregular, flapping wings and its small size. Some think they've seen a mallard, but mallards are virtually non-existent in Thailand, so it's much more likely to be this little cormorant.
