Abstract
The Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) and the Double-crested Cormorant (P. auritus) on the Magdalen Islands (Québec) nest in different types of habitat; all Great Cormorants nest on the ground either on cliff ledges or on the flat tops of rocky islands, while all Double-crested Cormorants nest in coniferous trees. No mixed colonies were seen in 1977 and 1978. Most Great Cormorants laid their eggs some 10 days before the Double-crested Cormorants. The mean clutch size was 4.4 for the Great Cormorant in 1978 and 3.2 and 3.6 for the Double-crested Cormorant in 1977 and 1978. The hatching success was similar for both species, 69.2% for the Great Cormorant in 1978 and 74.5 and 71.8% for the Double-crested Cormorant in 1977 and 1978. Great Cormorant chicks had a higher mortality rate mainly during their first 2 weeks of like. This resulted in a similar ratio of young fledged for both species of cormorant, about 2.0 fledglings per clutch for the Great Cormorant and 2.1 and 2.4 fledglings per clutch for the Double-crested Cormorant in 1977 and 1978. The greater mortality rate of young Great Cormorants reflects differences in nesting sites' conditions.
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