What is this?

[StevenW.]

Quote:
is that at st. louis by chance in there dome aviary?

Yep. When we went it was HOT!!

Everyone was going in the Penguin Dome because it was 20* in the dome!

 

[C&Rman]

Hmm I really dont think they would nest anywhere near because there are probally at leat 50 turkey voltures in all our trees. I caught him a water salamander and he stabbed it a bunch of times and then he sallowed it whole. He is so cool I surely hope it isn't illegal to own them.

Kanaskid- He can't fly at all he tryed and he didn't even get off the ground so I dont think he flew here and crashed lol.

 

[Alicia G]

I agree with many of the comments. It looks like a common cormorant to me. I would be careful about having it, probably illegal to own with out a permit. Lovely Bird BTW

 

[FeatheredObsessions]

Probably wanted your weird salamander fish

 

[dacjohns]

mr.mc. :

looks like an anhinga to me. also anhinga are the only birds that hunt by stabbing fish with its bill.
(i know my birds vary well)

Anhingas have a pointed beak, this one has a hooked. Anhingas aren't in Utah.

99% sure it is a Double crested cormorant.

Excellent photo.​

 

[dacjohns]

Quote:
Utah is in their summer range.

 

[dacjohns]

Quote:
In the winter. You probably have them close to where you live. I've seen them in Wisconsin and not on the Great Lakes.

 

[C&Rman]

Is there any way to its gender? I am going to hopefully search forit a mate!

 

[THunter]

Not legal to have, but if he don't want to leave, no law says you have to make him. My cousin caught a seagull in his fishing line when we were kids. We took him home and put him in a pen until we were sure he was going to make it. We'd go to the creek and catch minnows (probably illegal, too) and feed him. We turned him into a Democrat!! He wouldn't leave. Just hung around begging for a handout. Stayed around for a couple years until what I figured was the neighbor's dog killed him. I remember my mom (always the one to think things were better off at the lake where she would abandon my ducks once she figured I had had them long enough) tried to take him back to the lake while I was at school one day. She said it beat her back to the car and, having left the door open, jumped up in the seat. She brought him back home. We didn't keep him in a pen, he just hung around.

 

[dacjohns]

C&Rman :

Hmm, a cormorant, I have no clue how to say that haha. He sure is friendly for being wild. Where the heck would he have came from? I dont have any ponds near me, the closest one is maybe 10 miles away then there is a second one that is probally 15 miles away. He can't fly sop I doubt he migrated here from one of those ponds, I named him Bill cause of his beak

What should I do with him? I kinda want to keep him.

peewee- I do want to keep him there is a ton of water snakes in my backyard I have killed at least 100 in the last month we have a small ditch running behind our fence so a bunch of snake come through here. I will have to catch fish for him this weekend could I feed him Sardienes? I have no clue how to spell that

Be very careful what you say on here.

I don't think you have watersnakes, you probably are talking about garter snakes, a relatively harmless and beneficial snake. I don't think there are any watersnakes in Utah. You are also breaking the law by killing snakes. See the link about venomous snakes. I would ask you to not indiscriminately kill snakes or other wildlife.

On the subject of the cormorant, although you may be well intentioned you are also breaking the law by keeping it. You should try to find a licensed wildlife rehabber. You say it can't fly. It didn't walk to your house. Are there any obivious signs of injury? It might just be taking a break or it might be ill. There is definitely something wrong if it isn't trying to escape.

So once again, it is good to be concerned and to try to help but think about the consequences to yourself also.

http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/nr_wd_008.pdf​