Formerly scarce and local in much of Japan, this species has recovered in recent decades and is now common. This is an adult (top and immature bottom foreground). Great Cormorant may be distinguished from the similar Japanese (Temminck's) Cormorant by the extent and shape of its bare yellow facial skin which is much reduced in Japanese Cormorant. This photo shows the rounded rear gape of Great Cormorant unlike the narrow pointed rear gape of Japanese Cormorant. Japanese Cormorant is also slightly larger than the local Japanese subspecies of Great Cormorant (P. c. hanedae sometimes included in race P. c. sinensis). Canon PowerShot SX60 HS.
References:
Brazil, M. A. 1991. The Birds of Japan. Smithsonian Inst. Press, Washington DC.
Hatch, Jeremy J., Kevin M. Brown, Geoffrey G. Hogan and Ralph D. Morris. 2000. Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/553
Lethaby, N. and N. Moores. 1999. Identification of Temminck’s Cormorant. Dutch Birding 21: 1-8.
Newson, S. E., B. Hughes, I. C. Russell, G. R. Ekins and R. M. Sellers. 2004. Sub-specific differentiation and distribution of Great Cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo in Europe. Ardea 92: 3-10.
Orta, J., Garcia, E.F.J., Jutglar, F., Kirwan, G.M. & Boesman, P. (2016). Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/52629 on 16 June 2016)