In the United States, the double-crested cormorant population was in severe decline in the mid-1900s due to the use of pesticides. When these damaging pesticides were banned in the 1970s, fish-eating birds like the double-crested cormorant made a comeback.
According to Rita Renwick, president of the Will County Audubon Society, double-crested cormorants made their first appearance at Lake Renwick Preserve in 1986 with four nests. In 2016, there were reportedly 657 nests.
“With two adults and a few babies per nest, that’s a lot of cormorants!” Renwick said.
See the double-crested cormorant in person by attending one of the Forest Preserve’s upcoming bird viewing programs.
(Lead image via Shutterstock)