What is Galapagos Cormorant II?

Galapagos Cormorant II, one of the newest and largest vessels to sail the Galapagos Islands, can accommodate 16 passengers comfortably and features luxurious amenities such as a 180deg view lounge, satellite Internet service (unusual at Galapagos Islands), floor-to-ceiling windows, cruise director services with bilingual naturalist guides leading itineraries through her itineraries; comfortable cabins featuring private balconies & bathrooms as well as air-conditioning & panoramic windows for an elegant cruising experience & many other amenities make her voyage enjoyable & luxurious experience.

Endemic to the Galapagos Islands, the flightless cormorant is an aquatic bird with a long neck and hooked bill used for fishing. Large in size and heavy to carry around, its long body features short legs with webbed feet for optimal flotation when swimming through water bodies. At sea, it may be hard to spot these large, heavy birds as their bodies keep low while their heads only show when diving for fish.

At depths up to 1 km, they are extremely efficient hunters as they swim and dive underwater to capture prey such as fish, crabs, squid, or shrimp more easily than cormorants with wings. Isabela and Fernandina Islands provide breeding sites, but due to threats such as nest flooding, volcanic eruptions, and illegal fishing, they remain endangered species.

The flightless cormorant is primarily a scavenger, feeding on seaweed and sandbars for sustenance. They do not fear humans and can be approached easily. Their diet consists of fish, insects, and crustaceans such as squid, shrimp cuttlefish, but they can also be seen feeding on other marine life like starfish and mollusks.

What are the Nesting Habits of Flightless Cormorants? In breeding season (April-October), flightless cormorants construct large seaweed nests just above the high water mark. Males add various items, such as bits of rope fragments. Females lay 2-3 white eggs that are incubated by both parents for 35 days before hatching and fledging after two months.

The courtship between male and female flightless cormorants starts in the water, where male and female swim around each other with necks curved into snake-like positions before coming onto land to weave a nest with seaweed and sandbars that sometimes brings gifts as part of this nest-building process. A clutch usually forms two eggs.

Flightless cormorants are monogamous species; pair bonds only last through one clutch - typically from March to September. Both the male and female take turns incubating eggs which then hatch after several weeks; after this initial period, they depend on both parents for up to four months before flying away on their own.